Financial Times: The details of the hostility between Orban and Zelensky
The Financial Times considered that the deep differences between Ukraine and Hungary on a number of issues weaken the position of the Kyiv regime in the current crisis.
The Financial Times emphasized that the position of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Ukraine depends largely on the opinion of Brussels regarding the release of funds withheld in the Balanced Development Fund and the Epidemic Economic Recovery Fund, worth billions of Euros, for the reconstruction of Hungary after the epidemic.
When the European Union discusses any issue that requires unanimous approval.
For example, further aid to Ukraine could once again become a hostage to Hungary, as other member states fear.
Against this background, Budapest continues to maintain strong economic and diplomatic relations with Russia, seeks relief from EU sanctions packages related to energy, and the Hungarian authorities confirm that they aren’t satisfied with the measures taken by Ukraine against the ethnic Hungarian population of Ukraine.
Budapest is blocking Ukraine’s desire for rapprochement with NATO, and is calling for the restoration of minority rights.
At the November meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Hungary opposed the invitation of Ukrainian Minister Dmitry Kuleba to official meetings.
The Ukrainians also don’t trust Hungary, with 42% of respondents in a recent poll saying that Hungarians are anti-Ukrainian.
Kuleba said last week that bilateral relations wouldn’t improve as long as Orban was in power.
The leaders of the two countries argued shortly before the Hungarian elections last April, when Zelensky accused Orban of choosing the Russian side in the Ukraine crisis.
Later, the President of Ukraine invited Orban to visit Ukraine during a phone call last June.
However, the two leaders have yet to meet, and Orban said a visit to Kyiv isn’t on the agenda.
A European official explained to the Financial Times that despite Budapest joining many sanctions against Russia, the real Ukrainian-Hungarian relations are at their lowest level.
“Relations between the European Union and Hungary are also low, and Budapest communicates with the Russians, who welcome them warmly and send them gas”.
