On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at the Munich Security Conference. In his address, he appealed for continued support and for Ukraine’s EU membership. He also emphasized that Ukraine is defending the EU against Russia. At the same time, he sent a jab at Hungary’s prime minister, commenting on his physique. Hungary responded by saying that Zelensky’s statements show that he doesn’t belong in the EU and that Ukraine is not defending the EU, since it is Ukraine—not the union—that has been attacked by Russia.

At the annual security conference, attended by many of the EU’s leading figures, Zelensky was met with a standing ovation as he took the stage.

In his speech, he reiterated the message that support from EU taxpayers is insufficient and delivered too late. This is a recurring rhetoric that often makes waves—frequently followed by new announcements of additional support from both EU and NATO countries.

Zelensky reminded the audience that Ukraine has now endured 1,451 days of full-scale war. To underscore the gravity, he showed images, video clips, and visualizations—including from attacks that have taken place in recent days.

Meanwhile, the current winter has been exceptionally cold, and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has suffered extensive attacks, leaving many cities and smaller communities at times without heat.

– I want you to understand the true scale of these attacks against Ukraine.

In his speech, Zelensky asserted that Europe is relatively safe as long as Ukraine defends the continent against Russia. At the same time, he said that Europe cannot hide behind the Ukrainians and that Ukraine cannot forever bear the responsibility of defending against Russia.

– Our drone wall is your drone wall.

Zelensky Demands That Russia Be Barred from Using the Baltic Sea

The Ukrainian president further pointed out that EU countries still allow thousands of Russian merchant ships to travel on the Baltic Sea. Zelensky argued that this facilitates Russia’s war financing and expressed frustration that neither the EU nor NATO are acting more firmly. Using a figurative expression, he suggested that the West should act more forcefully—almost like pirates—to stop the ships currently sailing to and from Russia.

– Without oil revenues, Putin has no money for this war, he reminded.

However, Zelensky’s criticism of the EU’s handling of Russian maritime traffic in the Baltic Sea has important context. There is simply no legal way for the EU to stop Russian merchant ships in international waters. According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, all countries have the right to free passage, and even Russian ships sailing through the Baltic’s international waters are protected by this rule.

An attempt to block them would not only violate international law but would also likely risk triggering a military conflict in the Baltic Sea, since Russia depends on its ports in Saint Petersburg and Kaliningrad.

But this did not stop the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, from promising during the Munich Security Conference that the EU will do more to heed his call to stop Russian vessels from operating in the Baltic Sea.

– Over 600 ships have been seized, but we have to do much more, promised the EU leader.

Mocked Orbán’s Physique

In his speech at the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also criticized the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, who in recent years has been highly critical of the continued war and has pushed for peace negotiations.

Zelensky and Orbán have clashed several times on social media, with Orbán promising to ensure that Ukraine will not become a member of the EU. He maintains that the country does not meet the requirements and that swift EU accession would drag the entire union into war.

During the speech in Munich, Zelensky aimed a personal attack at Orbán, mocking his physique. According to Zelensky, Orbán is more focused on building his belly than building his army.

– And even a certain Viktor might think about expanding his belly instead of strengthening his army to prevent Russian tanks from returning to Budapest’s streets, said Zelensky.

Orbán responded on social media, stressing that Ukraine will not become a member of the EU. He clarified that the issue is not about him or Zelensky, but about the future of Europe, Hungary, and Ukraine, and that a rapid EU entry for Ukraine could create a direct military risk with Russia and damage the European economy.

Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, has also commented on Zelensky’s speech, noting that the Ukrainian president is wrong when he says that Ukraine is defending the EU. He clarified that it is Ukraine—which is neither a member of the EU nor NATO—that has been invaded by Russia, not the union.

“This is not our war,” he wrote, also emphasizing that Hungarian tax money will not be sent to Ukraine or pull Hungary into the conflict.

Those who wish to watch Zelensky’s entire speech from the conference can find it here: