Orbán’s new arch-enemy plans visit to Ukraine – POLITICO

The Hungarian prime minister, who has refused to sever ties with Vladimir Putin despite the Russian president’s all-out war on Ukraine, has been on a breakaway diplomatic mission in recent days, visiting Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing to discuss the conflict while Hungary holds the presidency of the Council of the EU for six months.

Magyar, a former Fidesz apparatchik and lawyer by training, turned against the Orbán establishment in February, launching a public movement that gave rise to the Respect and Freedom party – which won almost 30 percent of the vote in the European elections, the strongest result for an opposition party in Hungary in 15 years. Its seven MEPs have joined the center-right European People’s Party.

The attack on Okhmatdyt, one of the oldest children’s hospitals in Kyiv, left two people dead and more than 30 injured, according to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. In total, 29 people, including four children, were killed and 117 injured in the Russian attacks in Kyiv on Monday.

Magyar condemned the attack in his social media post, while only Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó from Orbán’s government spoke out. He referred to the prime minister’s “peace mission” and the danger of “escalation” but did not mention Russia or its aggressive role in the conflict.

Magyar had previously been cautious about the war in Ukraine and claimed during the election campaign that he had agreed with Orbán not to send “troops and weapons” to Ukraine.

An EPP spokesperson told POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook in mid-June that they had no problem with Magyar concealing his true position to avoid political consequences in his home country: “Everything he says about Ukraine and the war is used against him by Orbán’s propaganda machine. So it’s quite clear why he is cautious in this regard.”

The Hungarian opposition leader is unlikely to meet with senior officials in Kyiv this week, as President Volodymyr Zelensky and his team will attend the NATO summit in Washington DC.