Hungary’s Orbán to meet Zelenskyy in surprise trip to Kyiv

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Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán travelled to Kyiv early on Tuesday in a surprise visit for one of the EU’s most pro-Russian leaders.  

Orbán is expected to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his first trip to neighbouring Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion more than two years ago. 

Orbán’s press chief Bertalan Havasi confirmed to Hungarian news agency MTI that the premier had arrived in the Ukrainian capital in the morning for the talks. The main topic of the meeting will be the opportunity for building peace as Ukraine fights off Russia’s invasion, Havasi said, adding that Orbán and Zelenskyy will also discuss current issues related to Hungarian-Ukrainian bilateral relations.

Orbán is known as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in the European Union and has routinely blocked, delayed or watered down EU efforts to extend assistance to Ukraine.

He has long accused Kyiv of mistreating an ethnic Hungarian minority in Ukraine’s western region of Zakarpattia, a topic that is also supposed to be discussed during his trip to Ukraine.

The visit comes as Hungary takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union.  

The presidency’s role is to set the agenda, chair meetings of EU members in all fields except foreign policy or eurozone matters, seek consensus among member states and broker agreements on legislation with the European Parliament. 

However, there have been concerns because of Orbán’s many clashes with Brussels in recent months. 

Hungary has a history of blocking measures to deny providing billions of euros in military aid to Ukraine, which has caused frustration among other member states. 

Ahead of its assumption of the EU presidency, the bloc hurried through a new set of sanctions against Russia and launched membership talks with Ukraine.