Ukrainian presidential advisor: Orbán would immediately drop to his knees if Russia demanded it

Orbán would immediately drop to his knees if Russia were to demand it of him. Sovereignty is only truly manifested when you are willing to pay a high price for your freedom, Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak told HVG.

He added that in reality, Putin is no longer popular. Ukraine expects restitution, the punishment of war criminals and looks forward to Russia not being able to threaten anyone in the future.

Orbán is repeating Russian propaganda

In the interview, Podolyak spoke at length about Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's role in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The presidential advisor feels that the Hungarian prime minister doesn't understand what is happening in the world and this is especially true regarding the war in Ukraine. As a consequence, his statements are destroying common European values. According to Podolyak, Orbán can in no way be considered a global political actor and therefore has no influence on international political processes.

“Orbán is a local politician who does nothing more than repeat Russian propaganda word for word. By doing so, he is damaging Hungary directly. I don't understand why he does this when he could just as well keep quiet.”

Podolyak said that he believes the Hungarian prime minister has a direct interest in Putin staying in power and it would be much more honourable if Orbán decided to leave the EU rather than continue clinging to the European common market and the money from Brussels.

According to the Ukrainian president's advisor, the normalisation of Hungarian-Ukrainian relations depends on who will be in the new Hungarian government and how realistic they will be in assessing matters of bilateral interest.

“I am sure that as soon as Russia loses the war, Hungary will take a 180-degree turn. Putin's other current allies will also revisit the past and talk about how they have always been on Ukraine's side.”

To read Telex' interview with president Zelensky's advisor conducted in Kyiv last year, click here.