Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken strongly against unilateral actions like those of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the search for a peaceful resolution to Russia’s invasion of his country.

“We have maintained unity in Europe and are acting together which means (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has missed his primary target. He has failed to create division in Europe,” Mr Zelensky said at the summit of the European Political Community near the English city of Oxford.

“He may try to approach you or go to some of your partners individually, trying to tempt or pressure you, to blackmail you so that one of you betrays the rest, weakening our unity,” Mr Zelensky added. “If someone wants to make some trips to the capital of war to talk and perhaps promise something against our common interests or at the expense of Ukraine or other countries, why should we consider such a person?”

Mr Orbán recently travelled to Moscow to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin without consulting Brussels or Kyiv.

According to his own statements, the Hungarian prime minister wanted to explore the possibilities for ending the Russian war against Ukraine, which has been ongoing since February 2022.

Before visiting Moscow, Orbán was also in Kyiv. He later travelled to the Chinese capital, Beijing, and the United States to visit presidential candidate Donald Trump.

His travel activities, which he called a “peace mission,” were widely denounced in European Union and NATO countries.

(dpa/NAN)