On January 28, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had "crossed the line" after criticisms aimed at the Budapest government, issued by Mr. Zelensky at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland) last week.
On January 22, Mr. Zelensky said that the Hungarian leader needs to be subject to strict sanctions for frequently obstructing the European Union (EU)'s approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Ukrainian President called Prime Minister Orban's actions "selling cheap European interests".
Sharing this view, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga later declared Mr. Orban "a threat to his own people".
On January 26, Prime Minister Orban directed Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto to summon the Ukrainian Ambassador to Budapest.
According to Mr. Orban, Hungarian national security agencies concluded that the statements and actions of Ukrainian politicians are part of a joint effort to interfere in Hungary's upcoming parliamentary elections, while threatening national sovereignty.
Returning to his statement on January 28, Mr. Orban said that the pressureful statements from President Zelensky and Foreign Minister Sibiga aim to incite Hungarian public opinion, thereby promoting a pro-Ukrainian government change.
The Hungarian Prime Minister emphasized that Kiev's efforts to put pressure will not cause Budapest to withdraw its opposition to Ukraine's EU application as well as not cause this country to agree to provide financial support to Kiev.
We are not seeking conflict, but for many days Hungary has been a target of attack. However, no threat from the president, the foreign minister or extremist military groups can make us falter in protecting the interests of the Hungarians" - Mr. Orban wrote on social network X.
Mr. Orban affirmed that Hungary "will not allow Ukraine to be pressured to join the EU for 2 years by trampling on the laws of this bloc".
We will not send money to Ukraine - that money is better for Hungarian families, instead of lying in the toilets of a Ukrainian tycoon" - Mr. Orban said, referring to the gold-plated toilet that investigators discovered in the Kiev apartment of businessman Timur Mindich, a colleague of Mr. Zelensky, who left the country amid a major corruption scandal in November 2025.
Previously, in October 2025, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Hungary deserves respect because, despite being "a member state of NATO and the EU, this country still maintains its own position on sovereignty and protects its interests".
