The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, had a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban. Among other things, the leaders discussed Russiaʼs war against Ukraine and Ukraineʼs European integration.
Zelenskyi also invited Orban to the Global Peace Summit, which will be held in Switzerland on June 15-16. The President emphasized that Hungaryʼs position is important when it comes to peace and common regional security.
"He emphasized Ukraineʼs interest in good-neighborly relations and the development of cooperation in trade, energy and logistics. They agreed on further steps to resolve the entire range of bilateral issues on mutually beneficial terms. I am convinced that the quick accession of Ukraine to the EU will benefit both our states," Zelenskyi said.
After the conversation, Viktor Orbán said that Hungary is ready to contribute to any initiative and effort that will lead to peace in Ukraine. The Hungarian publication Hirado reports that "all important elements of Hungarian-Ukrainian relations" were also discussed during the conversation.
The spokesman of the Prime Minister of Hungary, Bertalan Havasi, assured that Zelenskyi and Orbán agreed to continue bilateral consultations.
- In the winter of 2024, Ukraine and Hungary were preparing for a personal meeting between President Zelenskyi and Prime Minister Orban. The head of the Presidentʼs Office, Andriy Yermak, who participated in the delegation, said that then the parties showed a clear interest in the meeting and took a "powerful step" in this direction. However, later the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary stated that there is still a "long way" before the meeting between Zelenskyi and Orban — Ukraine must first fulfill Hungaryʼs conditions in order to start relations between the countries with a "clean slate".