Ukrainian President’s Office confirms preparations for meeting between Zelenskyy and Orbán

Viktor Orbán and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: Getty Images

Andrii Yermak, Head of the President’s Office, has announced that a possible meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is being planned, with both sides “preparing the ground”.

Source: Yermak in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, as reported by European Pravda

Quote: “We are definitely moving towards a meeting between Zelenskyy and Orbán. This will be the main task of the meeting between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Szijjártó [Hungarian Foreign Minister – ed.] on 29 January in Uzhhorod,” said the head of the President’s Office. 

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Details: Yermak expressed confidence that the talks between Kyiv and Budapest are “definitely moving” towards the leaders’ meeting.

Quote: “We agreed to spend as many hours as it takes to talk through all the issues and come to an understanding of when, where, and with what potential agreements a meeting between Ukraine’s President and Hungary’s Prime Minister could take place,” Andrii Yermak said.

He added that during the meeting on 29 January, the Ukrainian side wants to “go through the whole range of issues”, and that it is necessary to talk with Hungary and establish a constructive dialogue because Hungary is Ukraine’s neighbour as well as a member of the EU and NATO.

Background:

• Earlier, Péter Szijjártó, Hungarian Foreign Minister, confirmed he would hold a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Uzhhorod.
• He recalled that he had had a conversation with Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, during which he said that Zelenskyy’s meeting with Orbán would make sense “if it can produce results”.
• Before that, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a brief conversation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán during the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected President of Argentina. Orbán said at the time that he had accepted Zelenskyy’s invitation to talk about bilateral relations, but on the condition that foreign ministers prepare the meeting.

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