Zelenskyy to visit Hungary for first time since full-scale Russian invasion

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Hungary on 7 November to attend the European Political Community Summit. Source: a statement from Zelenskyy in his evening address, as reported by European Pravda Details: Zelenskyy noted that he would be in Budapest on Thursday for the summit of the European Political Community, which Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and European Council President Charles Michel invited him to attend.

"I express my gratitude for the invitation.

We'll discuss security challenges in Europe and new opportunities for all partners. There will be a number of meetings and a number of agreements with European leaders," he announced. Most European states have reportedly decided to attend the European Political Community Summit despite earlier proposals to boycott it due to Orban's controversial foreign policy actions.

Background:

• Notably, Zelenskyy has not visited Hungary since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.
• Bilateral relations between Kyiv and Budapest have been strained by Hungary's stalling of EU sanctions and military assistance and the Hungarian leadership's contacts with Russia.
• Last week, the Ukrainian president also stressed that Kyiv and Budapest were working on a "bilateral document" addressing security issues and Ukraine's accession to NATO.

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