Zelensky says had ‘frank’ talk with Hungary’s Orban ahead of Nato summit on Kyiv membership

Hungarian president has repeatedly said he opposes starting talks on welcoming Ukraine to Nato

Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a “frank” conversation with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban on Sunday as the two were seen chatting on the sidelines of the inauguration of Argentina’s new president Javier Milei.

“It was as frank as possible – and obviously, it was focussed on our European affairs,” said Mr Zelensky in his nightly address, referring to his interaction with the Hungarian leader.

The two leaders were seen conversing in a corner of the Argentine parliament after Mr Orban threatened to block more European Union financial support to Kyiv. A nearly 20-second-long video showed Mr Zelensky engaging with Mr Orban animatedly in parliament where hundreds of leaders had gathered.

While the details of the conversation have not been made public, the “frank” chatter between the two leaders comes ahead of an EU summit on 14-15 December on deciding whether to start membership talks with Ukraine.

The Hungarian president has repeatedly said he opposes starting talks on welcoming Ukraine to the Nato bloc now and that any decision to proceed has to be unanimous.

Mr Orban’s press chief Bertalan Havasi said that the meeting between the leader and Mr Zelensky took place but did not address whether the opposition to Ukraine’s entry to the European Union will continue.

"With regards to Ukraine‘s EU accession, Viktor Orban signalled that the member states of the European Union were continuously discussing the issue," Mr Havasi said in the email.

Last month, Mr Orban – who holds a powerful veto – said he does not support moving forward on negotiations on Ukraine‘s future membership in the European Union, signalling again that his country could pose a major roadblock to Kyiv‘s ambitions to join the bloc.

“Ukraine is in no way ready to negotiate on its ambitions to join the European Union,” he said, adding that "the clear Hungarian position is that the negotiations must not begin.”

The Orban administration has refused to supply Ukraine with weapons in its war against Russia and has threatened to veto EU financial aid packages to Kyiv. It also accuses Ukraine of violating the rights of an ethnic Hungarian minority in western Ukraine by restricting its use of the Hungarian language in schools.

Earlier on Sunday, Mr Zelenskys said he had spoke to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen over phone to coordinate their positions.

"We are counting on a positive decision regarding the allocation of 50bn euros and the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU," he said in a post on Telegram.

"Europe must decisively defend its values and unity. I know that we can rely on the support of Madam president in this matter," he added.