On March 15, tens of thousands of people gathered in Budapest, participating in the "Journey for Peace" with the slogan: "We will not become a colony of Ukraine" to show support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Speaking to supporters gathered at the threshold of the Parliament building, Mr. Orban called on Ukraine to abandon hostile policies, including "oil blockade, extortion and threats to the Hungarian leadership".
Mr. Orban affirmed that all of the above-mentioned pressure measures from Ukraine cannot make Hungary - a country that, according to Mr. Orban, has existed for thousands of years - feel "afraid". "Be alert and stop this" - the Prime Minister said.
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, who was also present at the march, said that the European Union (EU) and Kiev have ambitions to overthrow Mr. Orban's government "because they want Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to form a more pro-Ukrainian Hungarian government".
Prime Minister Orban's government has long opposed the EU's policy of providing weapons and funding to Ukraine in the conflict with Russia, as well as opposing Kiev's EU accession efforts.
Tensions between Budapest and Kiev have also increased in recent months, after Ukraine first suspended the supply of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia through a pipeline built during the Soviet era, and then President Zelensky issued personal threats against Mr. Orban.
Meanwhile, images and videos posted on social networks show a large crowd waving national flags and marching through the central area of Budapest. Protesters carrying a large banner affirming that Hungary will not become a "colonial" of Ukraine.
In early March, Hungarian authorities blocked a convoy carrying 40 million USD in cash, 35 million euros in cash and 9kg of gold bars, believed to be heading towards a Ukrainian state-owned bank, as part of a money laundering investigation.
At the same time, Mr. Zelensky even suggested that Ukrainian troops could be sent to talk to Mr. Orban "in their language". Both Mr. Orban and the leader of the opposition party Tisza, Peter Magyar, condemned these threats.
