Zelenskyy comments on Orbán's election defeat: You cannot win based on hatred

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party suffered a strategic defeat in the elections because they built their campaign on hostility towards Ukraine.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview aired on the joint 24/7 TV newscast on the evening of 19 April, as reported by European Pravda

Quote: "I have said this many times and many leaders disagreed with me. You cannot keep winning based on hatred. You may win tactically, but strategically you are bound to lose. The elections in Hungary represent a strategic defeat for Orbán."

Details: Zelenskyy said he "did everything" to build relations with Orbán's government, "even when he [Orbán] was putting up posters expressing hatred towards me".

"I said I was chosen by the Ukrainian people. Hatred towards me is a projection of hatred towards Ukrainians. He built his campaign on hatred towards Ukrainians, and the Hungarians have said: look, we do not agree with this," the Ukrainian president added.

Following the defeat of Orbán's party in the elections on 12 April, the European Union is hoping for the earliest possible unblocking of the €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine and the 20th EU sanctions package against Russia.

Background:

• Orbán has been blocking the approval of these initiatives, accusing Ukraine of stopping the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline.
• Hungary's incoming Prime Minister Péter Magyar indicated that he will not block the €90bn EU loan for Ukraine, as the decision has already been made, although he confirmed that Budapest will not participate in it.

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