Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán arrived in Kyiv on 2 July, marking his first official visit to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. The visit coincides with Hungary’s assumption of the rotating presidency of the European Council for six months.

Hungary, known as the EU’s most pro-Russian member, consistently opposes the union’s collective military aid to Ukraine. The country has refused to send weapons to Kyiv and remains the sole EU state maintaining ties with the Kremlin since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Hungarian government spokesman Zoltán Kovács reported on X/Twitter that Orbán’s primary objective is to discuss European peace with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The talks will also address current issues in Hungarian-Ukrainian bilateral relations.

According to Magyar Nemzet, Bertalan Havasi, the Hungarian prime minister’s press chief, confirmed to MTI that peace-building possibilities would be the main topic of discussion between Orbán and Zelenskyy.

Prior to the meeting, President Zelenskyy congratulated Hungary on taking over the EU presidency, expressing his wishes for effectiveness in “promoting our common European values, goals, and interests.“

Previously, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó claimed that all Hungarian conditions regarding alleged human rights violations against ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region had been included in the EU accession negotiations framework with Ukraine.

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