Viktor Orbán expected to make surprise trip to Kyiv on Tuesday

Viktor Orban at an EU summit in Brussels days before taking over the union’s rotating presidency, to the unease of many European politicians. Photograph: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP

Hungary’s Viktor Orbán is expected to travel to Kyiv on Tuesday, according to three sources with knowledge of the plans, in a surprise visit for one of Europe’s most pro-Russian leaders, which comes as Hungary takes over the rotating presidency of the EU.

Two sources in Budapest said Orbán was expected to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, in the Hungarian prime minister’s first trip to neighbouring Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion more than two years ago.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to Volodymyr Zelenskiy, declined to comment on any possible visit. But another source in Kyiv confirmed the plans. “Orbán is here tomorrow, unless there is a last-minute change,” said the source.

One of the Budapest sources said the trip plans came together after lengthy negotiations on the issue of rights for Ukraine’s Hungarian-speaking minority, who live in the far west of Ukraine close to the two countries’ border.

“It was a precondition for the meeting that the issue of nationality rights was resolved. In recent weeks, an agreement has been reached. They will be able to announce this as a success,” said a source in Budapest with knowledge of the buildup to the visit.

While the issue of nationality rights has been one of Budapest’s most vocal complaints when it comes to Ukraine, sceptics of Orbán have accused him of using the issue as a smokescreen to facilitate the promotion of Russian talking points over the conflict.

In contrast to most European nations, Hungary has repeatedly questioned the need to support Ukraine militarily, and has instead called for a ceasefire. After wining parliamentary elections in 2022, Orbán included Zelenskiy in a list of “opponents” who had supposedly conspired against him and backed the opposition.

Meanwhile, Budapest has kept channels open with Moscow, and Orbán’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, has made at least five to Russia since the start of the war, most recently to visit an economic forum in St Petersburg last month.

On Monday, Hungary took over the rotating EU presidency until the end of the year, to the dismay of many other European politicians, given the country’s frequent clashes with Brussels over domestic rule-of-law issues and foreign policy.

A senior EU diplomat recently summed up the level of disquiet over Hungary taking over the presidency, saying: “I take pills to calm myself when I talk about this issue because it’s getting really ridiculous … At every turn of the road you see the Hungarians hampering Ukraine’s ability to fight an aggressor.”

The source in Kyiv said there was uncertainty over whether Orbán was travelling to Kyiv in a bilateral capacity, or as a representative of the EU. “There is clearly a conflict [between the EU’s interests and Budapest’s],” said the source.

Last week, EU governments agreed to use €1.4bn of profits from frozen Russian assets to supply arms and other aid to Ukraine, bypassing the Hungarian veto that has so frequently held up EU decisions on Ukraine. In response, Budapest accused the EU of a “shameless” breach of its own rules.