Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (Photo: Reuters).
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed on December 2 that it had banned former President Petro Poroshenko from leaving the country the day before, when he appeared at the border crossing between Ukraine and Poland.
According to the SBU, Mr. Poroshenko planned to leave the country to take part in discussions with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and opposes talks on Ukraine's accession to the European Union and NATO.
The SBU said it suspected that Russia would use the planned meeting between former President Poroshenko and Hungarian Prime Minister Orban to harm Ukraine's interests.
According to the SBU, Russia is preparing a series of "provocations" to discredit Ukraine with foreign allies.
"Russia planned to use this meeting to carry out psychological attacks on Ukraine," the SBU said. However, the SBU did not provide evidence for the accusation.
Hungarian Prime Minister Orban has long opposed the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. He recently proposed establishing a strategic partnership with Ukraine instead of admitting the country.
Mr Poroshenko's party has criticised the SBU's actions and warned the agency not to interfere in politics.
The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the office of Hungarian Prime Minister Orban have not commented on the above developments.
Under martial law, Ukrainian officials must obtain special approval to leave the country.
Poroshenko, who was president from 2014 to 2019 and is now an opposition lawmaker, said he planned to travel to Poland to help negotiate an end to the neighboring country’s border blockade, then travel to the United States to rally support.
He criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky's government for banning him from leaving the country, saying that this not only hindered the diplomatic work of his entire team but also affected Ukraine's defense capabilities.
Source
Comment (0)