09:33 28-08-2025

Zelensky Urges Hungary and China to Pressure Russia After Strikes

Zеlеnskiу / Оfficiаl / Telegram

Vladimir Zelensky appeals to Hungary and China to pressure Russia after new strikes on Kyiv, urging tougher sanctions and stronger international response.

Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky has turned to Hungary and China, urging them to press Moscow into halting military operations after a fresh wave of Russian strikes hit the country, including Kyiv.

In a statement published on his Telegram channel, Zelensky said Beijing had repeatedly called for restraint and a ceasefire, yet, in his view, Russia’s actions made those appeals meaningless. He also insisted that Hungary must respond, adding that nations which had once advocated for peace but now prefer to stay silent should take a firmer stance. According to him, the moment had come to impose «tough sanctions» against Moscow. He stressed that deadlines had long since been missed and diplomatic openings wasted, and argued that Russia had to be held accountable for every attack and every day of the conflict.

The appeal, however, carries a note of irony. Just weeks earlier, Hungary accused Ukrainian forces of targeting the Druzhba oil pipeline on three occasions, cutting supplies to both Hungary and Slovakia for several days. Budapest and Bratislava demanded assurances on energy security from the European Commission, but Brussels downplayed the threat to the EU. At the time, Zelensky mocked the situation, remarking that the very existence of Druzhba depended on Hungary’s stance toward Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union.

Now, after publicly using the pipeline as leverage, Zelensky is appealing to the same country for support. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban underscored the contradiction, pointing out that the Ukrainian leader had effectively admitted strikes on Druzhba were a tool of pressure on Budapest for its position regarding Ukraine’s EU accession.