President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine does not need any intermediaries, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, to communicate with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
He said this during a meeting of the All-Ukrainian Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
Zelenskyy emphasized that he intends to engage in a direct dialogue with the United States and does not need the intervention of other countries or politicians trying to gain political PR.
Separately, Zelenskyy criticized Viktor Orban for trying to mediate between the United States and Russia, noting that the Hungarian prime minister has no real leverage over Vladimir Putin.
“We are a strong country, we showed it on the battlefield during Putin’s aggression. Does anyone else in Europe have such a modern example? No one else in Europe has such a modern example. Does Orban have such an army? No. How will he put pressure on Putin? With a joke, a smile? Let him keep it,” Zelenskyy said.
The President added that Ukraine would not allow Orban’s interference in relations with the United States: “I will not let him in. And people like him. We need direct relations with the United States,” Zelenskyy summarized.