Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is not with his Czech, Polish and Slovenian counterparts in Kyiv for talks because Hungary is not supplying weapons to Ukraine, according to pro-government site Origo.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Czech PM Petr Fiala, and Slovenia’s Prime Minister Janez Janša are meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his PM Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv on Tuesday. According to the Polish government, the prime ministers will act as representatives of the European Council, and the meeting was organized in consultation with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party, will also be part of the visiting delegation.
When Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s press chief was asked by media outlets critical of the government why Orbán is not attending the Kyiv meeting, he responded that “The Prime Minister is aware of the visit, but is not going to Kyiv.”
According to pro-Fidesz website Origo, the Hungarian government “will not allow Hungary to be dragged into the war,” and it “is working to restore peace.” Origo writes that the Orbán government made clear from the outset of the war that it will not send soldiers or weapons to Ukraine; neither would it allow the transit of weapons across its territory.
Origo noted that after the Russians bombed a site near the Polish border, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said that even mentioning the transit of weapons carried serious risks.
Orbán has also made clear that weapons transfers would severely harm Hungarians in Transcarpathia, in western Ukraine, the pro-Fidesz site noted.
Origo also repeated the government’s accusation that opposition figures are “urging” the transfer of weapons to Ukraine.
Today, March 15 is a national holiday, and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is scheduled to give a speech at Kossuth Square in the afternoon.
Featured photo illustration by Vivien Cher Benko/PM’s Press Office
