News Feed

Polish PM Tusk slams Hungary’s Orban for praising Putin amid Ukraine attacks

1 min read
Polish PM Tusk slams Hungary’s Orban for praising Putin amid Ukraine attacks
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk delivers a press statement together with Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal after bilateral meetings at the Chancellery of Prime Minister on March 28, 2024 in Warsaw, Poland. (Omar Marques/Getty Images)

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for calling Vladimir Putin Hungary's “honest partner” during Russia’s massive missile attacks on Ukraine on Christmas Day, according to a Dec. 26 statement on X.

Russia launched 78 missiles and 106 drones on Dec. 25, striking multiple Ukrainian cities. Kharkiv faced “massive fire” from ballistic missiles, injuring six, according to local authorities.

Tusk highlighted the contrast between Orban’s remarks and the reality of the attacks, saying, “On Christmas Eve, Russia launched a massive missile attack on Ukrainian cities. At the same time, in a Christmas interview, Prime Minister Orban called Putin an honest partner of the Hungarians.”

Orban’s remarks highlight Hungary's ongoing ties with Moscow despite Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Hungary has frequently opposed EU sanctions on Russia and blocked military aid to Ukraine.

On Dec. 16, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry denounced Hungary’s "peacekeeping" rhetoric as manipulative, accusing Orban’s government of advocating for Ukraine’s surrender and obstructing international efforts to support Kyiv.

Avatar
Tim Zadorozhnyy

Reporter

Tim Zadorozhnyy is the reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in foreign policy, U.S.-Ukraine relations, and political developments across Europe and Russia. He studied International Relations and European Studies at Lazarski University and Coventry University and is now based in Warsaw. Tim began his journalism career in Odesa in 2022, working as a reporter at a local television channel. After relocating to Warsaw, he spent a year and a half with the Belarusian independent media outlet NEXTA, initially as a news anchor and later as managing editor. Tim is fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.

Read more
News Feed

After discovering gas canisters at the scene of the fire in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, members of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade "Azov" deployed a Zmiy unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) to avoid putting soldiers at increased risk.

Around 200 Ukrainian troops are based in Libya in cooperation with the government in Tripoli, sources told Radio France Internationale. These forces are allegedly responsible for the March 3 strike on a Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea.

Show More