Zelensky in Argentina: wrong place at the wrong time?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Buenos Aires on Sunday to attend the inauguration of ultra-liberal Argentinian President Javier Milei. There he also met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who only recently reiterated his threat to veto further EU support for Ukraine. Commentators discuss the ramifications of both encounters.
A catastrophic political mistake
This is the wrong time to seek closer ties with an unpredictable extremist politician like Milei, Visão warns:
“The trip to Argentina to attend the inauguration ceremony of Javier Milei, the ultra-something-or-other who spews such monumental claptrap, does nothing to improve Zelensky's image in this difficult phase of the war against Russia. ... Zelensky is not where he should be. And he's not in best form either. Possibly discouraged, certainly disillusioned, clearly fatigued, the Ukrainian president has no room to make such catastrophic political mistakes as this trip almost halfway around the world to give Milei his blessing. ... Least of all now that the Russians are gaining ground.”
Additional opportunities for Ukraine
Kyiv could benefit from contact with Milei, writes political scientist Petro Oleschuk on his Facebook page:
“Despite his rather peculiar image, Milei has a fairly right-wing economic programme and is regarded by many right-wing politicians around the world as one of their own. This includes those whose stance on the issue of support for Ukraine is rather ambivalent. Donald Trump, for example, has congratulated Milei on his victory. For Ukraine, contacts with Milei therefore also mean additional diplomatic opportunities for the future. In a way, these already materialised when Volodymyr Zelensky had a rather substantive conversation with Viktor Orbán in Argentina.”
Orbán sidelined
The new Argentinian president having invited Zelensky is not good news for the Hungarian PM, Népszava writes:
“It seems that the plan of a Hungarian-Argentinian populist alliance will remain a dream. The Hungarian leader's cabinet was not at all pleased when it came out that Ukraine's President Zelensky not only received an invitation to Milei's inauguration ceremony, but also travelled to Argentina to thank the new leader - who views himself as a staunch advocate of Washington and critic of Moscow, putting him in a very different camp than that of the Hungarian government - for his support.”