The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded to statements from Hungarian officials regarding President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following an interview he gave to the Hungarian portal Válasz Online.
In the interview, Zelenskyy accused the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of interfering in Ukraine’s internal affairs and using the ongoing war for political leverage ahead of Hungary’s upcoming elections.
Zoltan Kovács, the Hungarian Government's spokesperson, criticized Zelenskyy, claiming the Ukrainian president was “openly campaigning for the Hungarian opposition” ahead of the elections.
Kovács also published a statement from Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who alleged that Zelenskyy “wants a puppet government in Hungary that would send Hungarian funds to Ukraine.”
In response, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reproached Hungary for never calling on Russia to cease fire, instead continuing to "absurdly accuse Ukraine of not wanting peace."
“The communication line of the Hungarian authorities, which demonizes Ukraine and President Zelenskyy, has gone off the rails. Where it should be principled, the Hungarian authorities are silent. And where it should be looking for points of contact, they throw baseless accusations,” the Ukrainian Ministry spokesperson, Heorhiy Tykhyi, said.
The Ukrainian spokesperson emphasized that good-neighborly relations between Ukraine and Hungary are critically important for both countries. He added that Ukraine has consistently demonstrated a constructive approach to addressing issues related to Hungary’s national minority and other concerns.
On June 3, Viktor Orbán reiterated his stance, stating he would make every effort to prevent Ukraine from joining the European Union.
In early June, the Hungarian government launched a series of propaganda videos as part of its "national consultations" campaign, which accused Ukraine’s government of involvement in the illicit trade of weapons and drugs. The videos also suggested that Ukraine’s potential EU membership would lead to the unchecked infiltration of the "Ukrainian mafia" into Hungary, with Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen featured prominently.