Orban accuses Ukraine of threats and Hungarian election interference; FM Sybiha rejects accusations, calls him Kremlin ally
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Jan. 24 accused Ukraine of meddling in Hungary’s parliamentary elections, saying Kyiv had “gone on the offensive” and was now “issuing threats and openly interfering in the Hungarian elections.”
Orban claimed Ukraine’s aim was “to secure funds and force their way into the European Union as soon as possible,” while insisting that “as a member of the European Union, Hungary has the right to say no.”
He portrayed his government’s position as protecting Hungarian households and national security, saying Budapest does not want taxpayer money sent to Ukraine or for Hungary to be pulled into the war.
Orban also said Hungary would not back down under pressure, insisting the country would not be intimidated and warning Kyiv that Budapest would refuse to cover the costs.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto echoed the claim of election interference, telling Ukrainian officials: “Well, I see you started to interfere into our elections,” and warning that Hungary would not accept a government that would “say yes to Brussels” and “drag Hungary into your war.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha responded by arguing that Orban’s threats to block Ukraine’s EU accession were aimed less at Kyiv than at Hungary’s own minority community in Ukraine.
“When Viktor Orban says that he will not allow Ukraine to join the EU for the next 100 years, he is not really talking to the Ukrainian state,” Sybiha wrote on X.
Sybiha accused Orban of sacrificing ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia for political gain, as well as advancing Moscow’s interests by obstructing Ukraine’s EU bid.
“Viktor Orban and his team do not care about the well-being and security of Hungarians living in Ukraine,” he posted. “By blocking Ukraine’s EU membership, Orban is fulfilling Putin’s wishes.”
Sybiha then added that Orban was acting “like Hitler’s henchman Ferenc Szalasi,” and warned that Hungary risked aligning itself with the Kremlin.
“Hungary and the Hungarian people do not deserve this,” Sybiha wrote. “Hungary does not deserve to once again find itself on the wrong side of history—as an accomplice of a new form of inhuman ideology represented by the Putin regime.”
Sybiha also told Hungarian officials not to fear Ukraine but domestic backlash: “You should be afraid of the Hungarian people, who are tired of your lies, your kleptocracy, and your hatred.”
Orban has repeatedly voiced opposition to Ukraine's EU bid and for the bloc's support to Kyiv as it fends off Russia's war. Hungarian authorities are widely considered the most Moscow-friendly within the EU.
Hungary has also pushed back against broader EU efforts to cut dependence on Russian energy, as the bloc moves to phase out imports of Russian gas, oil, and nuclear-related energy. Budapest remains heavily reliant on Russian crude, with Russia supplying 86% of Hungary’s oil, according to the Atlantic Council — up from 61% before the full-scale invasion.
Orban said on Nov. 14 that Hungary would sue the EU over its decision to ban Russian gas imports.
