Zelenskyy criticises Orbán, says only he thinks about “growing his belly” instead of his army

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sharply criticised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, accusing him of focusing on personal comfort rather than strengthening national defence.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy said that while Ukraine continues to defend Europe, some leaders fail to recognise the scale of the threat posed by Russia.

Referring to comments made ahead of the conference by its chair, Wolfgang Ischinger, Zelenskyy noted that as long as Ukraine is defending Europe, the danger may appear less immediate to others.

“To be honest, and somewhat cynically, the situation today is more or less the same — but look at the price,” Zelenskyy said.

He stressed that thanks to the sacrifice of Ukrainian soldiers, European countries are able to live in relative peace.

“Independent Poland and the free Baltic states stand behind our people. Only Viktor can think about growing his belly rather than how to strengthen his army to stop Russian tanks that could return to the streets of Budapest. None of our people choose such heroism. Ukraine did not choose this war. Ukrainians are people, not Terminators — our people are dying,” Zelenskyy stated.

Orbán responded to Zelenskyy’s remarks on social media, saying the comments would help Hungarians “see the situation more clearly”.

“This debate is not about me and it is not about you. It is about the future of Hungary, Ukraine, and Europe. This is precisely why you cannot become a member of the European Union,” he wrote.