Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement posted to Telegram that he spoke with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban 'as frankly as possible' in a sideline conversation between the two leaders during the inauguration ceremony for Argentina's newly elected president on Dec. 10.
Javier Milei is a far-right libertarian lawmaker who won Argentina's presidential election on Nov. 19 after a campaign in which he said he would seek to reduce ties to Russia and China, among other policy views that represented a break from the outgoing President Alberto Fernandez.
After the inauguration, a video surfaced online showing Zelensky and Orban engaging in a heated conversation inside the Argentine government building. Details of what the two men discussed are not known, however, President Zelensky released a statement on Telegram later that day.
“On the sidelines of the inauguration, I spoke with Hungarian Prime Minister Orban as frankly as possible. And it is clear that it [the conversation] was about our European affairs.”
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Hungary has repeatedly obstructed EU funds for Kyiv while opposing sanctions against Russia. Orban, who maintains close ties with the Kremlin, has refused to provide military aid to Ukraine and threatened to block Ukraine's accession to the EU unless leaders agree to review their entire strategy of support.
Daria Shulzhenko
