Zelenskyy received the Ewald von Kleist Award and mentioned Orban

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at the Ewald von Kleist Award ceremony on February 14, 2026. The recording of the speech was published on the YouTube channel of the President's Office, UNN reports.

Details

This award was presented to the Ukrainian people "for their courage, self-sacrifice, and unwavering determination to defend their freedom and the freedom of all Europe."

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received the award on behalf of Ukrainians. In his speech, he thanked the leaders of European countries, as well as the EU leadership represented by Ursula von der Leyen, US President Donald Trump, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Zelenskyy separately mentioned Viktor Orbán, the head of the Hungarian government, again.

He pushes everyone in Europe to be better

Additionally

President Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is holding the European front. He emphasized that some politicians may think about personal interests rather than stopping Russian tanks. He named Viktor Orbán as one of these politicians.

In response, Orbán reiterated that Ukraine cannot become a member of the European Union.

Recall

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, during which he informed about the general situation in the Ukrainian energy system and the consequences of Russian strikes on energy infrastructure facilities.

During the meeting, Aliyev accused the Russians of targeted strikes on the Azerbaijani embassy in Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also held a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, during which the parties discussed in detail the further content and development of the PURL program.

In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US Secretary of State Mark Rubio on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.