Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry on Friday, March 6, urged Ukrainian citizens to avoid travel to Hungary, citing what it described as arbitrary actions by Hungarian authorities that could pose a risk to their safety.
The ministry said the recommendation followed the alleged kidnapping of seven Ukrainian citizens and the seizure of property belonging to a Ukrainian state bank in Budapest.
“In connection with the inability to guarantee the safety of Ukrainian citizens amid arbitrary actions by Hungarian authorities, we recommend refraining from traveling to Hungary,” the ministry said in a statement.
Kyiv also advised Ukrainians to prioritize alternative transit routes that do not pass through Hungarian territory where possible.
The ministry further warned Ukrainian and European businesses about potential risks to property in Hungary, urging them to take into account the possibility of arbitrary seizures when conducting business activities in the country.
On Thursday, days after Budapest’s foreign minister visited Moscow for an in-person meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin – who transferred two Ukrainian prisoners of war into his custody – tensions flared further, with Hungarian PM Viktor Orban saying he would “break the Ukrainian oil blockade by force.”
The same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the pipeline could theoretically be made operational within “a month to a month-and-a-half.”
“But that does not mean that everything destroyed will be fully restored,” he added, hinting for the first time that Kyiv may intentionally block the pipeline in the future.
During an interview with Ukrinform, Zelensky also escalated the rhetoric by suggesting the Ukrainian military could speak to Orban “in their own language.”
“We hope that one person in the European Union will not block €90 billion, or the first tranche of the €90 billion… Otherwise, we will give the address of this person to our Armed Forces, to our guys. Let them call him and speak with him in their own language,” Zelensky said.
Hungary has threatened to block a €90 billion ($104 billion) EU assistance loan to Ukraine.
The diplomatic spat also comes ahead of Hungary’s general elections, with the Orban administration – known for its Kremlin ties – relying on a self-described anti-war stance to rally nationalist support, arguing that Europe should avoid backing Kyiv to prevent being drawn into the war.
The latest spat marks the highest level of tension between Budapest and Kyiv since May 2025, when Kyiv announced the breakup of a Hungarian spy ring, prompting the mutual expulsion of diplomats – and the high-profile daylight arrest in Budapest of a former Ukrainian diplomat later revealed to be a Russian national.