Orbán calls war against Ukraine "military operation" in conversation with Putin

During a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán referred to Russia's war against Ukraine as a "military operation".

Source: European Pravda

Details: On Tuesday, Kremlin-aligned Russian news outlet RIA Novosti published an excerpt from the conversation with simultaneous translation, in which Orban is said to have mentioned a "military operation". At the same time, the phrase "katona műveletek" ("military operation" in Hungarian) is heard quietly in the background.

Hungarian MP Márton Tompos, one of the founders of the opposition movement Momentum, which is represented in the parliament, reacted angrily, saying "No, Viktor. What is happening in Ukraine is not a 'special military operation', it is a WAR.  A war in which Hungarians from Zakarpattia are fighting. Shame on you!"

Background:

• Putin has held talks with Orbán in Beijing.
• This is the first time in more than a year that Putin has met with the leader of an EU country. In April 2022, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer visited Moscow and met with the Kremlin leader.
• Orbán regularly makes anti-Ukrainian statements in the spirit of Russian propaganda. In particular, he has said that the historic opportunity for Ukraine to join NATO has been lost and that Kyiv should forget about joining the Alliance.
• Orbán has claimed that because of the war in Ukraine, it is not clear what its territory and population are, and has also said that before having "serious talks about Ukraine's accession", the EU should conduct a strategic analysis of how it would affect the Union.

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