Orbán's relationship with Putin too warm to mediate – Zelenskyy
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has once again criticised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's attempts to present himself as a "mediator" in the "settlement" of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Source: Zelenskyy said this at a press conference in Brussels, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Zelenskyy stressed that he had not spoken to Orbán since before the Hungarian PM proposed a "Christmas truce".
Quote: "To be honest, I think it's very frivolous when we talk about certain initiatives that are related to the lives of Ukrainians and when we learn about it from the media," he said.
Zelenskyy added that Orban has "no mandate to negotiate".
"His relationship with Putin is too warm to put Putin in his place," the president said.
He added that the proposals raised by the Hungarian prime minister "look more like political PR".
"I don't know what the Hungarian side is proposing, except that it sounds like a festive ‘Christmas exchange’. We are not having fun at all... Nothing can be discussed and resolved without Ukraine," the head of state stressed.
Background:
- Tensions between Kyiv and Budapest escalated after Viktor Orbán called Vladimir Putin last week.
- Afterwards, Orbán stated that he had proposed a ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner-of-war swap to Ukraine for Christmas but claimed that President Zelenskyy had rejected the idea.
- The Ukrainian president then expressed hope that Orbán "at least won’t call [Bashar al-] Assad in Moscow to listen to his hour-long lectures as well".
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