Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will travel to Kyiv today, where he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, The Financial Times reported.
The visit by Orban, an outspoken critic of Western military aid to Ukraine, will come a day after Hungary took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The offices of Orban and Zelenski did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Financial Times reported that Orban would meet Zelenskiy and other senior officials in Kiev just days after the two spoke at an EU summit in Brussels.
Orban, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally among EU leaders, has often opposed a number of EU initiatives to support Ukraine in its defense against Moscow following the launch of a Russian invasion in February 2022.
Last year, Orbán told Putin that Hungary never wanted to confront Russia. In early 2024, EU leaders needed weeks to override the Hungarian prime minister’s veto and give 50 billion euros in new aid to Ukraine.
Last week, the EU opened membership talks with Ukraine, giving the country a political boost amid its war against Russian invasion, although it still has a long and difficult road ahead of joining the bloc.
