Hungarian opposition leader to visit Kyiv children's hospital after Russian attack
Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar is heading to Kyiv on July 10 to visit Okhmatdyt, Ukraine's largest children's medical center, days after it was struck by a Russian missile, the politician wrote on Facebook.
Magyar's Tisza party raised about 15 million forints ($41,000) and collected medical supplies and food to deliver them to Ukraine as humanitarian aid, he said.
Russian forces launched a missile attack on the capital on July 8, killing 33 and injuring 121 others. One Russian missile directly struck the Okhmatdyt children's hospital.
"The terrible Russian missile attack on the children's hospital in Kyiv shocked everyone. Children are not fighting in the war," Magyar said.
Magyar is planning to arrive in Kyiv on the evening of July 10 and visit the hospital the next day. The Hungarian opposition leader will meet only with regular Ukrainian civilians, not with officials, he said.
Magyar's next stop will be Uzhhorod and Berehove in Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast, home to a sizeable Hungarian minority.
The Russian attack took place days after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Kyiv for the first time since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
During his visit, Orban put forward a ceasefire proposal, which was rejected by President Volodymyr Zelensky. Hungary's head of government arrived in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin later the same week.
Orban reacted to the strike on July 9 but did not mention that the hospital was hit by Russia, citing "the brutality of the Russia-Ukraine war."
Under Orban's leadership, Budapest has remained the most Kremlin-friendly country within the EU. Orban has repeatedly obstructed aid for Ukraine and opposed Kyiv's NATO and EU accession.
In early June, Magyar said his party shares the position of the Hungarian government not to send the country's troops or weapons to Ukraine but supports Kyiv's right to self-defense.
Chris York
