Zelenskyy shocked: Orban calls with Putin about Ukraine conflict!

Zelenskyy shocked: Orban calls with Putin about Ukraine conflict!

In a dramatic exchange of blows between the heads of state, Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj sharply criticized the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The reason? Orbán dared to call the Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine War-and at a time when Ukraine urgently demands unity from its allies!

Orbán, who cultivated closer relationships with Putin throughout the war than many other European countries, announced on X that the conversation on Wednesday took an hour. He described the current situation as the "most dangerous weeks" of the conflict. But Selenskyj was not long in coming and countered: "Nobody should strengthen his personal image at the expense of unity."

a dangerous game

Selenskyj also accused Orbán that he should not advise himself with the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in Moscow in order to listen to his hours of lectures. This remark aimed at the political granting of Russia to Assad and illustrates concern about Orbán's diplomatic maneuvers.

The Ukrainian government has repeatedly emphasized that discussions about the war cannot take place without Ukraine. "There can be no discussions about the war that Russia leads to Ukraine without giving Ukraine," said Selenskyj on Wednesday. The warnings from Kiev are clear: a ceasefire would play Moscow in the cards, since Russia controls about 20 percent of the Ukrainian territory.

Orbán's answer and the controversy

Orbán reacted to Selenskyj's accusations and claimed that Hungary had proposed a “Christmas creation” and a prisoner exchange, which the Ukrainian president had “clearly rejected”. However, details on this proposal remained vague - when and how Orbán offered this peace, remains unclear.

"At the end of the Hungarian EU Presidency, we undertook new peace efforts. It is sad that President Selenskyj clearly rejected this today," tweeted Orbán. But Ukraine rejected these claims. Dmytro Lytvyn, a advisor to the President, said: "As always, the Hungarian side has not discussed anything with us. As always, the Hungarian side did not inform us about its contacts with Moscow."

The tensions between Kyiv and Budapest are another chapter in an already complex geopolitical drama. Orbán has refused to provide military help to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian offensive in February 2022, and instead negotiated peace-much to the displeasure of its EU colleagues.