Viktor Orbán visits Kyiv for surprise talks with Volodymyr

Hungarian PM’s visit is the pro-Putin leader’s first to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion

Hungary’s prime minister has made a surprise visit to Kyiv for talks with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the first trip by Europe’s most pro-Russian leader to the Ukrainian capital since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion 28 months ago

The visit on Tuesday morning by Viktor Orbán, an outspoken critic of western military and financial aid to Ukraine, comes a day after Hungary took over the rotating EU presidency until the end of the year, to the dismay of many other European politicians, given the country’s frequent clashes with Brussels over domestic rule-of-law issues and foreign policy.