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.
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