Zelensky: Orbán wants to use the war in Ukraine to his own advantage, which is a historic mistake

Putin is not seeking to destroy Ukrainian cities, but rather the entire nation and its statehood, and Orbán's actions are overstepping the boundaries of Ukraine's sovereignty, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Válasz Online.

“Unfortunately, Viktor's policy is anti-Ukrainian. And anti-European. He is using this in his domestic politics: he wants to use the war in Ukraine to his own advantage in the elections. This is dishonourable,

the Ukrainian president said about Viktor Orbán. According to him, the Hungarian Prime Minister is feeding false information to the Hungarian public, which is radicalizing people, but at the same time, Orbán's position does not reflect the position of Hungary as a whole. “Hungary is a member of the EU and NATO. It shouldn't behave as if it hated both," Zelensky added.

In his opinion, Orbán may think that “he can get things done through oil and gas, which is why he is betting on good relations with Putin and bad relations with Ukraine. He thinks he has bet on the right horse, but I am convinced that he will lose.” According to the Ukrainian president, he has always sought constructive dialogue with Orbán, but the Hungarian Prime Minister's actions and operations have overstepped the boundaries of Ukraine's sovereignty, which he has no right for.

According to Zelensky, Orbán is using Ukraine for the purpose of his own election and is trying to do Putin a favor, and in doing so, he is “committing a serious, historic mistake.” Speaking about the Hungarian government's ongoing public survey on Ukraine's EU membership and the billboard campaign accompanying it, the Ukrainian president said that it was wrong and unethical for the Hungarian government to use his image for its own election purposes.

Volodymyr Zelensky also commented on the recent spying scandal, and said that Hungary had tried to interfere in Ukrainian internal affairs in dozens of different ways. "We have additional photos and videos of various meetings organized by the Hungarian Military National Security Service (KNBSZ) on Hungarian territory, which we will also publish if necessary. I do not mean to threaten anyone, but we really do have everything. This includes details of how the KNBSZ paid its agent. We have documented it all," said the Ukrainian president, who claims that the Hungarians were gathering specific military information about Ukraine, and were not doing so at the request of NATO.

Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, Zelensky said that a ceasefire could be reached soon, but sustainable peace would only be possible if the states capable of exerting real pressure were to understand Putin's real goals, which, according to the Ukrainian president, are not the destruction of Ukrainian cities, but the destruction of the Ukrainian nation and its statehood. “Many people are still in disbelief and do not understand that Putin is seeking the total absorption of Ukraine. His goal is to wipe us off the map,” said Zelensky, who believes that world leaders should not wait to see how long Ukraine can hold out, but should instead impose sanctions on Russia. He considers it unfair to think in terms of the former, as this is dependent on other countries, including Hungary.

“The West is also portrayed as an enemy, so it is pointless for some European leaders to think that if they maintain a relationship with Putin, their countries will be left untouched by war and hatred,” the Ukrainian president said.

Regarding the peace talks, he said that the Russians are trying to weaken the positions of their Western partners on Russia. However, according to Zelensky, the mediating countries should not be thinking about what they stand to lose from the sanctions, but about what the talks are about, namely the war and the fact that people continue to die.

It is my job to engage in dialogue about territories – and Putin's, who stole them. I will not discuss my position on this with anyone else,

Volodymyr Zelensky said, reiterating that the currently occupied territories of Ukraine will not be recognized as Russian de jure.