Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands after a joint news briefing, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kiev, Ukraine on July 2, 2024.
Valentyn Ogirenko Reuters
OXFORD, England — Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy on Thursday hit out at European leaders who “betray” Kiev’s interests in a thinly veiled attack on Hungarian President Viktor Orban and his shadowy peace talks.
Zelensky told European leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far failed to sow discord in the region, but noted that EU member states – specifically a weak link – could still succumb to temptation or blackmail.
“He [Putin] may try to approach you or go to some of your partners individually, trying to tempt you or pressure you, blackmail you so that one of you betrays the rest, weakening our unity,” he said in the opening speech of the European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace, England.
The Ukrainian leader said it was up to individual leaders to decide how to act and “what legacy to leave”.
But in an apparent reference to Orbán’s recent meeting with Putin in Moscow, he noted that those acting against the continent’s interests should not be seen as part of group issues.
“If anyone in Europe tries to solve issues behind other people’s backs or even at someone else’s expense, if someone wants to make a few trips to the war capital to talk and promise something against our common interests — or the expense of Ukraine and other countries — then why should we think of such a person?”, he said.
“The EU and NATO can also deal with all their issues without this one person,” he said.
“Putin cannot maintain relations with really powerful leaders. That is our advantage, but it remains our advantage only as long as we are united,” he added.
Hungary’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the remarks.
Zelensky was addressing the EU 27 member statesas well as 20 other heads of state from across the region, during the opening speech at the European Political Community Summit, which was established in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Orban, a Putin ally, met the Russian leader earlier this month in a trip that drew condemnation from Europe, which came days after he visited Kiev.
Hungary, which is a member of both the EU and NATO, took over the EU’s rotating presidency earlier this year.
“The peacekeeping mission continues. Second stop: Moscow,” he told a post on social media at that time.
Speaking to CNBC outside the summit on Thursday, Orban said he believed it was his job to convince leaders to “jump from a pro-war policy to a pro-peace policy.” In separate comments to reporters, Orban said his sentiments were shared by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Recalling a Mar-a-Lago meeting last week, which he at the time dubbed “peace mission 5.0,” The Hungarian prime minister said Trump had indicated he would immediately do “everything for peace” if elected in November.
He added that Trump had suggested that the “economic burden” between the US and Europe would be different if he were returned to office. “We will have to figure it out here,” Orban said ahead of the EPC talks.
