Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has claimed that Ukrainians allegedly threatened his family, including his children and grandchildren. He said this on social media amid a tense election campaign in Hungary.
Content of the statement
Viktor Orbán published a video in which he appears to call his daughters. In the video, he warns them about possible threats and asks them not to worry about information circulating in the media.
“The Ukrainians are already threatening my family, my children and my grandchildren. Everyone is fine, but there is a limit to everything!” – Orbán wrote in the caption to the post.
The Hungarian prime minister did not provide specific evidence of the threats or clarify who allegedly made them. He may have been referring to statements by former Ukrainian lawmaker Hryhorii Omelchenko made during an interview. He suggested that if Orbán does not reconsider his anti-Ukrainian stance, he could face vigilante retaliation.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently responded to Orbán’s veto of an EU loan to Ukraine.
“We hope that one person in the European Union will not block the 90 bn Otherwise we will give this person’s address to our armed forces, to our guys. Let them call him and talk to him in their own language,” Zelenskyy said.
Context
Orbán’s statement comes amid growing tensions between Kyiv and Budapest. In recent months the two sides have clashed over Hungary’s stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine and over energy issues.
Orbán has long been considered the most pro-Russian leader among EU countries, according to reporting by The Guardian. Hungary is set to hold parliamentary elections on April 12, and the anti-Ukrainian campaign there has intensified as Orbán reportedly trails his opponents.
Earlier, Ukraine halted the transit of Russian oil to EU countries through the Druzhba pipeline after part of the pipeline was damaged by a Russian attack in late January. Following this, Orbán accused Kyiv of pursuing anti-Hungarian policies and attacking Hungary’s energy security. Ukraine did not resume the transportation of Russian oil to Hungary, and in response Orbán vetoed an EU loan for Ukraine worth 90 billion euros. The Hungarian prime minister also blocked further EU sanctions against Russia.
Seizure of transported funds
On March 5, Hungarian authorities stopped a convoy of two armored vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian state bank Oschadbank. Police detained seven Ukrainians who were escorting the convoy. It was transporting $40 million and €35 million in cash, as well as 9 kilograms of gold bars, from Vienna to Kyiv. According to Kyiv, it was a routine state cash transfer that Hungarian authorities had been notified about in advance.
Budapest, however, described the operation as money laundering. The seven detained men were held in isolation for more than 24 hours before being sent back to Ukraine. Hungary has not returned the money or the gold. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry is demanding the immediate return of the valuables and has called on European partners to condemn Hungary’s actions.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that Viktor Orbán accused Ukraine of attacking Hungary’s energy security in an open letter addressed to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
