The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has launched a new tool to respond to the regular statements made by Hungarian officials regarding Ukraine. According to MFA representative Georgiy Tykhyy, from now on, the Ukrainian side will publish its official position in the format of a 24/7 online radio.
This is reported by Kyiv24
“Every day, Hungarian officials make absurd statements about Ukraine. We are tired of responding to each of them and have decided to publish our position online in the form of a radio station available around the clock. We call it ‘Hungarian Radio of Ukraine’
Tensions in Relations Between Ukraine and Hungary
In recent years, high-ranking Hungarian officials, including Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, have repeatedly expressed support for the Kremlin and criticized Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale aggression by the Russian Federation, official Budapest has taken a position that contradicts the overall line of the European Union regarding support for Ukraine. In particular, Hungary openly opposes Ukraine’s Euro-integration.
Relations between the countries have been further complicated by Budapest’s accusations against Kyiv of delaying the repair of the damaged Druzhba oil pipeline following Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. This pipeline is crucial for the supply of oil from Russia to Hungary and Slovakia.
Blocking Sanctions and Upcoming Elections in Hungary
Slovakia and Hungary are currently blocking the adoption of the twentieth package of anti-Russian sanctions, as well as the allocation of a multi-billion euro loan for Ukraine, agreed upon at the EU summit in December. Both countries do not plan to lift their veto until the resumption of Russian oil transportation through the Druzhba pipeline.
Parliamentary elections will be held in Hungary on April 12. Sociological research shows an advantage for opposition forces over Viktor Orban’s party, but no confident predictions regarding the election results have been made yet. International media report that Russia is actively engaging political technologists to support the re-election of the incumbent prime minister and strengthen the positions of his party, Fidesz.