Ukraine’s decision to strip the leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of his citizenship sends a disturbing message to Orthodox communities living in the EU, where Kyiv seeks to join.
In the latest sign of deteriorating relations, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned Hungarian Ambassador to Kyiv Antal Hejzer in response to an advertising campaign portraying Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar as the ‘Hungarian Zelenskyy’. Ukraine’s EU accession is increasingly becoming a central topic in the electoral campaign for Hungary’s 2026 parliamentary election.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán voiced strong opposition to Ukraine’s EU accession, warning it would cripple Hungary’s economy. In a radio interview, he criticized Brussels’ pressure and emphasized the government’s commitment to protecting Hungarian interests.
Taking over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, Denmark has promised to exert maximum pressure on Hungary to lift its veto on Ukraine’s EU accession. However, looking back over recent years, there have been several similar threats against Viktor Orbán’s government, and Copenhagen does not have anything new to bring to the table either.
Russia’s capture of Shevchenko—site of a key lithium deposit—is alarming investors over the future of a US–Ukraine critical minerals deal. With further Russian advances, Donald Trump may face a tough choice: ramp up pressure on Moscow or risk the deal’s collapse.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Hungary Sándor Fegyir discussed the current state and future prospects of Ukrainian–Hungarian relations in an interview with Index, stating that political communication has flaws on both sides, but that ‘it is never too late to apologize to each other.’
Balázs Németh, the spokesperson for the Fidesz faction in the Hungarian National Assembly, called out the hypocrisy of the EU leaders in a recent Facebook post. As he pointed out, Brussels is happy to ignore its own fundamental rules when it’s convenient, such as in the case of Ukraine’s EU accession, which Hungary is currently blocking.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán declared that Hungary, backed by over two million votes in the ‘Voks 2025’ initiative, has blocked Ukraine’s EU accession. Speaking on Kossuth Radio, he also touched on migration, energy, the Pride march, and space policy.
Hungary’s Voks 2025 referendum on Ukraine’s EU accession became one of the most successful public consultations ever, with over 2.2 million votes. State Secretary Balázs Hidvéghi declared the results will shape Hungary’s stance in Brussels, opposing what he calls a ‘reckless’ EU push for Ukraine’s membership.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán described this year’s NATO summit as a ‘battle won’ for member states advocating the strengthening of the Alliance over prioritizing Ukraine. He also emphasized that the European Union must ease its fiscal rules to enable member states to meet the new 5 per cent defence commitment by 2035.