Guardian: Orban surprises Kiev
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has just taken over the rotating presidency of the EU, could go to Kiev today on a surprise mission. The Guardian reports that the pro-Russian European leader intends to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mykhailo Podolyak, Zelensky’s assistant, declined to comment on the rumor, but other sources at the British newspaper confirmed it. The plans for the trip were apparently finalized after lengthy negotiations on the issue of rights for the Hungarian-speaking Ukrainian minority, who live in the far west of Ukraine, near the border between the two countries. “The precondition for the meeting was that the issue of nationality rights was resolved. An agreement was reached in recent weeks. They will be able to announce it as a success,” said a source in Budapest with knowledge of the preparations for the visit. The issue of nationality rights has been one of Budapest’s most vocal complaints about Ukraine. Unlike most European nations, Hungary has repeatedly questioned the need to militarily support Ukraine, and has instead called for a ceasefire. After winning parliamentary elections in 2022, Orbán included Zelensky among others in a list of “oppositionists” who allegedly conspired against him and supported the opposition.
