Orban calls Russia’s war against Ukraine a ‘military operation’ in conversation with Putin
During a meeting with Russian dictator
Vladimir Putin on Oct. 17, pro-Russian Hungarian PM Viktor
Orban referred to Russia's war against Ukraine as a "military
operation," repeating verbatim the way Moscow usually refers to its war of
aggression.
Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti published a segment of the conversation with simultaneous translation, in which Orban can be heard talking about the “military operation.”
“No, Viktor [Orban]; what is happening in Ukraine is not a 'special military operation', it is a war,” Hungarian opposition MP said in a Facebook post, commenting on Orban’s choice of words.
“A war in which [ethnic] Hungarians from [Ukraine’s] Zakarpattia [Oblast] are fighting.”
Orban met with Putin in China, where they are gathered for a Belt and Road summit.
According to the Hungarian Telex.hu news portal, Orban emphasized the importance of "peace" and said that it was "extremely important for the entire continent, including Hungary, to put an end to the influx of refugees, sanctions, and wars."
Orban has repeatedly spread Russian narratives and opposed providing Ukraine with aid in countering Russian aggression. Earlier, he stated that Budapest would not support Kyiv in any issue of international relations until "Ukraine restores the former rights of ethnic Hungarians on its territory."
After the outbreak of the full-scale war, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto repeatedly visited Moscow to negotiate energy deals.
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