Zelensky Slams Orban Offer to ‘Mediate’ Talks With Russia

President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected a proposal by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to mediate peace talks with Russia, saying that Hungary – which has a substantially smaller military than Ukraine – has no leverage over Russia.

“We are a strong country, we showed it on the battlefield throughout Putin’s aggression. Does anyone else in Europe have this experience now? No. Does Orban have such an army? No. How will he put pressure on Putin? With a joke, a smile? Let him save it,” Zelensky said,  Interfax-Ukraine reported.

Despite Russia’s surprise invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, Orban has maintained warm relations with Russia’s autocratic president, Vladimir Putin, and has attempted to block sanctions against Russia and weapons going to Ukraine for its defense.

Orban, writing on the “X” social media platform, claimed that Zelensky had rejected a proposed “Christmas ceasefire” and “large-scale prisoner exchange.”

“As always, the Hungarian side did not discuss anything with Ukraine. As always, the Hungarian side did not warn (us) about its contacts with Moscow,” presidential aide Dmytro Lytvyn said in a written statement in response.

“Prime Minister Orban, who wants to [achieve peace for Ukraine], you know, ‘somehow, somewhere…’ will not work. I won’t let him or people like him handle this,” Zelensky added, indicating that he was talking about the Hungarian prime minister, not the Hungarian people who support Ukraine.

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