Zelensky: Orbán could lose the April elections, after which full relations could be restored – here is Orbán’s harsh reply

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave an interview to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, in which he discussed the possibility of Orbán’s defeat in the April elections. He added that if that happened, full relations could be restored.

Zelensky: Orbán’s election loss may give chance to reshape Ukrainian-Hungarian ties

According to prm.ua, which summarised the interview from a Hungarian perspective, Zelensky noted Orbán’s limited influence on regional politics unless others lend him strength. “Hungary is a country that has significance, but lacks military clout,” the president said.

The Ukrainian president made clear that he did not consider the Hungarian people pro-Russian. He highlighted that Ukraine opposes funding the Russian war machine with oil and gas money. This may refer to the Druzhba pipeline, which ceased delivering oil to Slovakia and Hungary after a Russian attack.

Although the Hungarian prime minister and his Slovak counterpart state that the pipeline is ready to use again, Ukraine has not restarted operations. The Ukrainian president said earlier that he would like something in return, for example, the lifting of Hungary’s veto on Ukraine’s EU financial bailout or EU accession.

Orbán has previously described the closure of the Druzhba pipeline as a declaration of war on Budapest.