Hungary's PM Orban Meets Zelensky in a Surprise Visit, Ukraine To Cede Territory To Russia?| Watch

2 months ago

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Kyiv on July 2, 2024, meeting President Zelensky. Orban, a critic of EU support for Ukraine, urged a "quick ceasefire" to accelerate peace talks with Russia. This visit, Orban's first since the 2022 invasion, came as Hungary assumed the EU's rotating presidency. Despite tense relations, the leaders discussed Ukraine's EU aspirations and ongoing conflict. Orban's stance could significantly influence EU policy towards Ukraine in the coming months.

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Transcript

00:00Ceasefire to end the war in Ukraine Orban's surprise visit leaves Zelensky baffled

00:12What the Hungarian leader advised to the Ukrainian president

00:16Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban recently made a surprise visit to Kiev on 2 July 2024,

00:23meeting the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

00:27His visit came just a day after Hungary took over the European Union's rotating presidency,

00:32giving the country significant influence over the EU priorities for the next six months.

00:42Orban who has been known for his criticism of the Western support for Ukraine urged Zelensky

00:47to consider a quick ceasefire to potentially accelerate the peace talk with Russia.

00:53He suggested a time-limited ceasefire, emphasising that it could speed up the negotiations to

00:58end the war that has been ongoing for over two years now.

01:03The visit marked Orban's first trip to Kiev since Russia's invasion in February 2022.

01:10Unlike many European leaders, he has been vocal in his opposition to the financial and

01:14military aid for Ukraine.

01:17Orban had also previously criticised EU's packages and had criticised the decision to

01:22open the formal EU membership talks with Ukraine.

01:26The Hungarian leader has maintained a warmer relation with Russian President Vladimir Putin

01:31compared to other EU leaders.

01:33In October 2023, Orban also became the first EU leader to meet Putin since the war began

01:39during a regional summit in Beijing.

01:43During the joint press conference with Zelensky, Orban stated that he will report their talk

01:47to the EU prime ministers to help inform their future European decisions.

01:52Zelensky for his part also emphasised the symbolic timing of the visit and stressed

01:57the importance of continuous European military support for Ukraine.

02:03The meeting comes against the backdrop of the ongoing war.

02:06Russian forces recently killed one person and wounded seven others in the partially

02:11occupied Kherson region, while claiming the capture of several more villages in eastern

02:16Ukraine.

02:17The relations between Orban and Zelensky have also been tense since the war's onset.

02:22Zelensky had previously called out Orban for his lack of support, and the two leaders even

02:27had a brief, seemingly tense exchange at international events.

02:33Hungary's position is crucial for Western support to Ukraine due to the membership of

02:37both the EU and NATO.

02:39This gives Hungary the power to influence, delay or block initiatives and funding for

02:44Kyiv.

02:47The visit also touched on pre-existing tensions between the two countries, particularly regarding

02:51the Ukraine's language priority affecting the ethnic community of Hungarians in western

02:56Ukraine.

02:57As Hungary takes on the EU presidency, Orban's visit and his stance on the Ukraine war will

03:03likely have significant implications on EU policy and support for Ukraine in the coming

03:09months.

Hungary's PM Orban Meets Zelensky in a Surprise Visit, Ukraine To Cede Territory To Russia?| Watch

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