"Strong protest". Ukraine summons Hungary's ambassador over allegations of election "interference"

On January 28, Hungarian ambassador to Ukraine Antal Heizer was summoned to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs over allegations from Budapest that Kyiv had influenced the parliamentary elections in that country. About this reported MFA.

The agency expressed to the diplomat "strong protest in connection with recent false statements" by his country's leadership about alleged Ukrainian interference in the Hungarian elections.

The Foreign Ministry emphasized to the ambassador that Ukraine "categorically opposes" Hungary's involvement in the country's election campaign, which "frankly harms" relations between the two countries.

Kyiv also called on Budapest to stop its "aggressive anti-Ukrainian rhetoric" to prevent negative consequences for bilateral relations.

"We emphasized that Ukraine, for its part, remains ready to develop constructive cooperation with Hungary. In this context, we once again emphasized the need to unblock Ukraine's accession negotiations with the European Union, which is certainly in the interests of both peoples and the Hungarian minority in Ukraine," the ministry concluded.

The day before, on January 27, the head of Hungarian diplomacy, Péter Szijjártó, said that country's Foreign Ministry summoned Ukrainian ambassador Fedir Shandor, and that Kyiv is allegedly trying to influence the election results and interfere in the electoral process in favor of the main opposition party "Tisza".

In a statement, published on February 28, after the Hungarian ambassador was summoned to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Szijjarto, among other things, repeated accusations of Kyiv's "interference" in the election.

Parliamentary elections in Hungary are scheduled for April 12, 2026. Currently, the country's power is held by the pro-Russian government headed by prime minister Viktor Orbán, which consistently blocks Ukraine's accession to the EU.

• On January 22, during a speech at a forum in Davos, president Zelenskyy hinted that Orbán should be slapped on the wrist for his pro-Russian policies. Instead, the Hungarian prime minister said "carefully chosen insults".
• Orbán later said that his country would not allow Ukraine's European integration for 100 years. Foreign minister Sybiha denied such words, hinting at the connection between the Hungarian politician and dictator Putin.
• Sybiha also compared Orbán's policy to the actions of nazi dictator of Hungary Szálasi.