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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a key European political ally of President Donald Trump, accused Ukraine of having "crossed a line" in an ongoing clash between the two countries.
The Orbán government has warmer relations with the Kremlin than most others in Europe, even as Russia's war rages on in Ukraine. Budapest blames European Union (EU) and NATO officials in Brussels for igniting and fueling the war, putting less of the blame on Russia, on which Hungary heavily relies for cheap gas imports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a dig at Orbán during his Davos speech last week, saying: "Every Viktor who lives off European money while trying to sell out European interests deserves a smack upside the head."
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Ukraine has hit Russian energy infrastructure to disrupt the economic engine of its war, including gas pipelines used to supply Hungary, escalating tensions between Kyiv and Budapest. Kyiv is also seeking a quick path to membership of the EU, which Hungary strongly opposes, citing the corruption problem in Ukraine and a potentially negative economic impact.
Orbán is currently engaged in a close election campaign and faces the real prospect of losing power. He has leant hard into nationalism and his outsider status within the EU, contrasting his pursuit of Hungarian interests against what he portrays as a warmongering elite in Brussels. He accused Kyiv of meddling in Hungary's election against him.
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"The Ukrainian leadership crossed a line. We did not seek conflict, yet for days now Hungary has been in the crosshairs," Orbán, a conservative nationalist, said in a post on X. "Still, neither threats from the president, nor from the foreign minister, nor from extremist military groups will deter us from standing up for the interests of Hungarians."
Orbán said Hungary, a NATO ally, would not send money to Ukraine, which is fighting off a full-scale Russian invasion that is approaching its fourth anniversary, because "it is better off with Hungarian families than in the bathroom of a Ukrainian oligarch."
He also said Hungary would not allow a ban on Russian oil and gas imports, which the EU, of which Budapest is a member, has agreed to do by 2027. Moreover, Orbán said he would seek to block Ukraine's rapid accession to the EU—a process he said is "trampling" on the bloc's law—as it "would mean importing the war as well."
"As long as Hungary has a patriotic government, decisions on these matters will not be made in Kyiv and not in Brussels either," Orbán said.
Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, had hit back at Hungary in a January 24 post on X for its attempts to block Kyiv's membership of the EU. "It is obvious that the European Union is an area of peace. It was created after World War II to prevent another war," Sybiha said.
"Ukraine’s accession to the EU would bring peace closer and guarantee security and prosperity for all of Europe and for the entire Hungarian nation.
"But this is not what [Russian President] Putin wants. He wants the war to continue. By blocking Ukraine’s EU membership, Orbán is fulfilling Putin’s wishes. At the same time, Orbán is blocking the restoration of peace in Europe and turning Hungary into an accomplice of the Kremlin regime."
He also rejected the accusation that Kyiv is interfering in Hungary's elections: "As for the elections, you should not be afraid of Ukraine. You should be afraid of the Hungarian people, who are tired of your lies, your kleptocracy, and your hatred."
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