Hungary’s Orban visits Ukraine for first time since war began

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Russia’s closest European ally, met with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday during his first trip to Ukraine since Russia invaded more than two years ago.

Orban has largely supported Russia and he is viewed as the European Union leader with the warmest relationship with President Vladimir Putin. Over the course of the war, he has hampered the EU’s efforts to sanction Moscow and does not allow donated Western weapons to be transferred to Ukraine.

The Hungarian leader said the war is “the most important issue for Europe,” according to the Associated Press, and he explained, “The issue of peace is not only important for Ukraine, it is important for the whole of Europe.”

He suggested Ukraine should agree to a ceasefire with Russia to end the war. Kyiv has repeatedly denied any negotiated end to the war that includes giving up Ukrainian territory, arguing that such a deal could provide Russia with the time to rearm and then resume its attempts to conquer the entire country.

“This war, which you are now suffering, has a profound effect on European security,” Orban said.

Despite his pro-Russian tilt over the course of the war, Orban seemingly opened the door for new relations in the future.

“We are trying to leave the disputes of the past behind us and focus on the period ahead,” Orban said. “We would like relations between our two countries to be much better.”

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“We also talked about the humanitarian sphere — everything that affects the lives of our people in both Ukraine and Hungary,” Zelensky said. “The content of our dialogue on all these topics today can form the basis for a new bilateral document between our countries, which will regulate all our relations, be based on a reciprocal approach to bilateral relations between Ukraine and Hungary, and allow our peoples to enjoy all the benefits of unity in Europe.”

While those two leaders met, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov visited the Pentagon to meet with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Austin announced that the United States would soon publicize its latest aid package, which he said would be valued at more than $2.3 billion.