On substance, the EU had little to offer Kyiv. With Hungary objecting, the bloc failed to unblock frozen Russian assets as loans for Ukraine. Zelenskyy also met with Robert Fico, the prime minister of Slovakia, another increasingly pro-Russia country like Hungary.
His Brussels tour began in the European Council.
Despite a worsening situation on the front lines — Zelenskyy said North Korea was preparing to send some 10,000 troops to fight for Russia in Ukraine — EU leaders glossed over Ukraine’s requests and turned their attention to the Middle East in the early afternoon.
Hungary’s reaction was less of a surprise, as its prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is known to be a staunch believer in keeping a friendly relationship with Moscow. “What he outlined yesterday in the Ukrainian parliament was more than frightening,” Orbán said of Zelenskyy.
“The European Union went into this war with a badly organized, badly executed, badly calculated strategy, for which the president of the [European] Commission bears the main responsibility” Orbán said, referring to Ursula von der Leyen. “We are losing this war, so the strategy is not working.”
Zelenskyy did receive some support after his plea for NATO membership, however. Denmark’s premier, Mette Frederiksen, reiterated her support for Ukraine’s membership, saying: “It’s the most important life insurance you can give a country.”