HUngary and Ukraine
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief reporting from Budapest, Hungary
BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – A bitter war of words between Hungary and Ukraine has escalated sharply ahead of Hungary’s crucial April 12 elections, with both sides trading accusations over threats, energy supplies, and alleged political interference.
The dispute intensified after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested he could provide Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s address to Ukrainian soldiers so they could “call and speak to him in their own language,” remarks widely interpreted in Hungary as a threat.
Even the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm and usually supportive of Kyiv, rebuked Zelenskyy over the remarks, urging restraint amid the escalating rhetoric between the two countries.
Orbán responded by releasing a video showing him speaking by phone with his daughters.
“I’m sure you’ll see on the news that the Ukrainians have threatened not only me but you as well,” the Hungarian leader said. “My kids and my grandkids… We have to take this seriously but we must not be scared.”
THREATS, ELECTIONS AND RHETORIC
The controversy followed comments by Hrihoriy Omelchenko, a retired Ukrainian politician and former member of the country’s SBU security service, who suggested in a television interview that vigilantes could target Orbán if he did not change what he called his “anti-Ukrainian position.”
The tensions are playing out in Hungary’s heated election campaign.
In a dramatic campaign video released by Orbán’s Fidesz party, a young girl is shown asking her mother when her father will return home from war.
The emotional clip ends with the soldier apparently executed in muddy battlefield conditions.
A narrator then warns viewers: “Let’s not allow others to decide the fate of our families. April 12, 2026. War only takes away from everyone. Fidesz is the safe choice.”
PROTESTS OVER COMMENTS
At a protest outside the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest, Orbán supporters accused Zelenskyy of attempting to destabilize Hungary and help opposition leader Péter Magyar take power.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó went further, accusing the Ukrainian president of threatening the prime minister.
“President Zelenskyy threatened Hungary’s prime minister with death,” Szijjártó said. “This shows what they are really like. This is how they behave — they threaten and they blackmail.”
CASH SEIZURE TRIGGERS TENSIONS
The diplomatic crisis has been further fueled by a controversial incident involving Ukrainian couriers detained briefly in Hungary.
Authorities said seven Ukrainian men traveling in armored vehicles were carrying 35 million euros, 40 million dollars, and nine kilograms of gold.
The men were later returned to Ukraine, but Hungarian authorities seized the cash and gold.
Kyiv insists the funds belonged to a Ukrainian state bank, while Hungarian officials claim the money could be linked to what they call a “Ukrainian war mafia.”
ENERGY DISPUTE AT HEART
However, analysts say the deeper conflict revolves around energy.
Hungary continues importing Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, a Soviet-era network that passes through Ukraine.
The pipeline has been out of operation since January.
While Ukraine says the damage resulted from Russian attacks, Zelenskyy has signaled that Kyiv has no intention of facilitating repairs.
EU AID DISPUTE
In response, Hungary has blocked parts of a 90-billion-euro European Union financial assistance package for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy criticized the move.
“It is simply anti-European when one person blocks decisions that are important for the entire continent,” he said.
Orbán’s government, in turn, accuses Ukraine of interfering in Hungary’s politics and supporting the opposition.
HUNGARY ELECTION HEATS UP
Fidesz supporters have claimed opposition leader Péter Magyar is receiving backing from Kyiv and Brussels to pursue what they call a pro-war agenda, allegations he strongly denies.
Magyar has also rejected claims by pro-government media that an intimate video allegedly showing him in an apartment where drugs were present could be released.
He says the accusations are part of a smear campaign.
“The Hungarian government spent more than 1,300 billion forints over the past five years on this propaganda machine,” Magyar said.
“But I would rather talk about the condition of Hungarian workers.”
ALLEGED RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE
Magyar cited Hungary’s minimum wage of about 686 euros per month, a minimum pension of around 70 euros, and family allowances of roughly 30 euros monthly.
He has also accused Orbán of siphoning billions of euros in state and European Union funds to allies and cooperating with Russian intelligence to influence the election.
Some reports claim Russian intelligence officers have recently arrived in Budapest to assist Orbán’s campaign.
Both the Russian embassy and Orbán’s government deny the allegations. Yet Orbán continues campaigning on a message that only his leadership can keep Hungary out of the war.
In recent online videos, the prime minister is seen visiting wounded ethnic Hungarian soldiers repatriated from Ukraine who are receiving treatment in Hungarian hospitals. In one clip, he reassures them they are now safe in Hungary and thanks them for their service.
Supporters say the scenes underscore Orbán’s pledge to protect Hungary from the war, while critics argue the visits are part of a broader election campaign portraying the prime minister as the guarantor of peace.
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