Steven N.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Tuesday, with talks that focused on Ukraine’s European integration, Hungary’s acceptance of war refugees, and other areas of Hungarian-Ukrainian co-operation, Bertalan Havasi, Deputy State Secretary for the Prime Minister’s Press Office, told MTI.
During the discussions between the two leaders, Viktor Orbán stressed that Hungary supported Ukraine’s candidate status for EU membership, and that bureaucratic obstacles must be removed as soon as possible before Ukraine can join the EU. The Hungarian Prime Minister informed the Ukrainian head of state that he would advocate for this position at this week’s EU summit in Brussels.
Viktor Orbán also mentioned that Hungary has now received nearly 800,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war with Russia, and that the country is open to further energy cooperation with Ukraine, transporting Ukrainian grain by rail, and letting even more Ukrainian students into Hungary.
The Ukrainian President wrote about the phone call with Viktor Orbán on Twitter, mentioning that the conversation was “fruitful,” and also thanking the Hungarian head of government for supporting Ukrainian sovereignty and “shelter for Ukrainians during the war.” He additionally wrote that they had agreed to further “cooperation in the energy sector,” and that he had invited Orbán to visit Ukraine.
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