President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked Donald Trump to put pressure on Hungary to unblock Ukraine's negotiations with the EU, the Ukrainian leader said.

Viktor Orbán has tense relations with Kyiv and is one of the few European leaders close to the Kremlin.

The nationalist leader is fighting against Ukraine's accession to the EU, which he believes will "destroy" the bloc.

Volodymyr Zelensky said he had "asked President Trump to ask Budapest not to block our accession to the European Union."

"President Trump promised that his team would work on the issue," he told a group of media outlets, including AFP.

Zelensky met with Donald Trump in Washington on August 18, accompanied by a group of European leaders who support him.

Negotiations on Ukraine's accession officially began in June 2024, which is an important symbol for this former Soviet republic.

In a diplomatic move already known since the end of 2023,

Viktor Orbán briefly left the summit of the 27 leaders while his colleagues decided to start negotiations with Kyiv.

But the accession process is at a standstill as the Hungarian leader remains adamant.

He toughened his tone after his "friend" Donald Trump returned to power in the US in January.

Orbán also opposes any military aid to Kiev, which has been fighting against the Russian invasion since 2022. | BGNES