Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends a speacial meeting of the European Council at the European Union headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, May 30, 2022. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
Orban reportedly said that the EU should remove the bureaucratic obstacles to Ukraine's EU accession as soon as possible and that he intends to represent this position at the upcoming EU summit on June 23-24.
BUDAPEST, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on the phone on Tuesday to discuss Kyiv's bid to join the European Union (EU).
According to the Hungarian leader's press chief Bertalan Havasi, Orban confirmed his country's support for Ukraine's EU candidate status.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C) welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd L), German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (1st L), Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (2nd R) and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in Kiev, capital of Ukraine, June 16, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Office/Handout via Xinhua)
Orban reportedly said that the EU should remove the bureaucratic obstacles to Ukraine's EU accession as soon as possible and that he intends to represent this position at the upcoming EU summit on June 23-24.
Orban told Zelensky that Hungary has already welcomed close to 800,000 Ukrainian refugees and that his government is ready for continued cooperation in further energy projects, Havas said.
Hungary is also ready to help Ukraine export its grain via rail, Orban said.
European Council President Charles Michel (2nd L) meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (3rd R) in Kiev, Ukraine, April 20, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Office/Handout via Xinhua)
On behalf of the people of Ukraine, Zelensky thanked the Hungarian people for their help.
The phone conversation was seen by observers as a sign of easing tensions between the two leaders. Previously, Zelensky criticized Orban for his apparent lack of support for the embattled country. ■
