Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on January 26 accused Ukraine of attempting to interfere in Hungary’s parliamentary elections, vowed to “defend Hungary’s sovereignty and interests” and instructed Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó to summon the Ukrainian ambassador.
There was also a reaction from the Hungarian premier to the mention of his name in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address at the annual meetings of the World Economic Forum in Davos and to subsequent similar comments by other Ukrainian officials.
Orbán believes that last week Ukrainian political leaders and Zelensky themselves “uttered crude insults and threats toward Hungary and the Hungarian government”.
«Our national security agencies have analyzed this latest Ukrainian attack and concluded that these events are part of a coordinated series of actions by Ukraine aimed at interfering in Hungary’s elections, but we cannot allow anyone to threaten Hungary’s sovereignty or the integrity of Hungarian elections», – said Orbán in a video posted on his Facebook page on January 26.
– Viktor Orbán
On January 22 in Davos, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, without naming a surname or a title, accused the so-called “Victor” of pandering to Moscow’s interests.
«We all see that the forces trying to destroy Europe do not waste a single day – they act freely, even inside Europe. Every “Victor” who lives on European money, trying to sell European interests, deserves a slap. And if he feels comfortable in Moscow, this does not mean that we should allow European capitals to become little Moscows», – said Zelensky.
– Volodymyr Zelensky
That same day Orbán stated that Zelensky is a “man in a desperate position who for the fourth year cannot or does not want to see the war through, despite the President of the United States providing all possible assistance in this.”
«So no matter how much you flatter me, we cannot support your military efforts. The Ukrainian people, of course, despite your carefully crafted images, can still count on us continuing to supply electricity and fuel to your country, and we will also continue to support refugees arriving from Ukraine», – wrote Orbán on the social network X.
– Viktor Orbán
The Hungarian prime minister maintains close contacts with the Kremlin and frequently criticizes Europe for what he calls its “hardline” and “pro-war” stance toward Russia due to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In April, parliamentary elections will be held in Hungary, and, according to current polls, Orbán’s party is not the frontrunner in many election cycles.