
A diplomatic rift has erupted between Kyiv and Budapest after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that Ukrainian soldiers could “call and speak” to those blocking a €90 billion EU loan—widely understood to mean Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán.
Speaking after a government meeting on Thursday, March 5th, Zelensky said the contact details of those responsible for blocking the funds could be handed to Ukrainian soldiers so they could “call and speak to him in their own language.” The comments quickly triggered condemnation from Hungarian officials and political figures across Europe.
