SARAJEVO

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Wednesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ignored his warnings last year that Russia was preparing for a long war and that Western support for Kyiv would eventually wane.

“One year ago today, I visited Kyiv. Even then, I warned him that time was not on his side,” Orban wrote on X, recalling his talks with Zelenskyy in the Ukrainian capital about the possibility of a cease-fire and peace.

He said he told Zelenskyy that the US was heading for a “major shift” and that Europe was “running out of steam” in its support for Ukraine.

“President Zelenskyy did not listen to us at the time. With the confidence of a stage performer, he insisted on continuing the war,” Orban said.

The Hungarian prime minister said that while the war continues, Europe is “exhausted, and American arms shipments are dwindling.”

“The Ukrainian people continue to live through the horrors of war every single day. This is not theatre, nor a TV series, but cold hard reality,” Orban said.

He added that Hungary remains on the side of peace and said: “It is not too late” for Zelenskyy to join that stance.

Orban's remarks highlight deep divisions within the EU over Ukraine's membership bid, as several member states push for faster integration amid the ongoing war with Russia.

Hungary, however, continues to veto, citing security and geopolitical concerns.