Putin's NATO Ally Appears to Have Animated Chat With Zelensky at Summit

A quick exchange caught on video between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during Thursday's European Council Summit has led to speculation about what was said.

The conversation took place at European Union (EU) headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, as part of a two-day summit taking place Thursday and Friday. EU leaders addressed Russia's "war of aggression" against Ukraine and how to provide the invaded country with more military support, including ammunition and missiles.

Attendees were also slated to discuss using Russia's frozen assets to help Ukraine's reconstruction. Ukraine is being considered entry into the EU. On July 1, Hungary will start its six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Footage shows Orban approaching Zelensky, the latter of whom stands to greet his counterpart and shake his hand. The circulated clip, which is 28 seconds, then shows a back-and-forth with both using hand gestures. Zelensky can be seen somewhat shaking his head in response to whatever Orban said.

The talk occurred after Ukraine signed security agreements with the EU, as well as with Lithuania and Estonia, according to Ukrainian news outlet Pravda.

Orban has remained one of the few allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin within the North American Treaty Organization (NATO).

In the past week, Orbán said during a live interview with Hungarian Radio Kossuth that he would not support NATO's Western bloc's activities in support of Ukraine—part of an agreement he said he made with NATO.

"I have agreed with the NATO secretary general: NATO will have a military mission in Ukraine, but Hungary will not participate in it, not even with money," Orbán said, according to a Google translation of an audio segment of the interview.

However, Orban was surprisingly critical of Putin's military in comments last month. He said during a separate radio interview in May that the war launched by Putin in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, may have been underestimated by Russia.

"If the Russians were strong enough to defeat the Ukrainians in one go, they would have been defeated, but that's not what we're seeing," Orbán said.

About two weeks ago, Orban met with Donald Trump Jr. In Budapest as part of a discussion on how to improve U.S.-Hungary relations should Donald Trump be reelected. Orban and Trump have remained close geopolitical allies after his presidency.

A high-ranking official of the EU's foreign policy service reportedly told European Pravda that he considers Ukraine's greatest success in its bilateral agreement with the EU is that it was signed despite Hungary's position.

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