Criticism of Hungary’s prime minister
Kyiv accuses Orban of disrespect
The Ukrainian leadership has sharply criticized Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban for his stance on the Ukraine war.
Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, speaks during an international year-end press conference at government headquarters. Photo: Szilard Koszticsak/MTI/AP/dpa
“The statements made by Hungary’s prime minister demonstrate pathological contempt for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people who oppose Russian aggression, and political short-sightedness,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said on its website on Tuesday. The trigger was a statement by Orban that the war could be ended if the US stopped providing arms to Kyiv.
Orban is thus calling for Ukraine’s defeat, but this would only increase the risk of Russian aggression against Hungary itself, according to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. “The Hungarian leader should ask himself if he wants peace.”
Relations between Budapest and Kyiv are strained. Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Orban has repeatedly tried to block EU support for the neighboring country or sanctions against Russia. At a football game, he wore a scarf with the outlines of the former Greater Hungary, which also included parts of Ukraine. There has been a dispute over the Hungarian minority in Ukraine for years. At the same time, Orban has maintained good relations with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin for a long time. Hungary is heavily dependent on Russian gas supplies.
(SDA)