Zelensky Says Ukraine Will Work With Any Hungarian Leader ‘Who Is Not Putin’s Ally’

Ukraine is prepared to cooperate with any future Hungarian leadership willing to maintain constructive relations and avoid aligning with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, criticizing the current government in Budapest for what he described as anti-Ukrainian policies.

Speaking to journalists, Zelensky argued that Hungary’s current leadership has fostered hostility toward Ukraine, a development he said harms relations between neighboring countries.

Hungarian election backdrop

Zelensky’s remarks come amid a heated political contest in Hungary ahead of parliamentary elections, where long-time Prime Minister Viktor Orbán faces his strongest challenger in years.

Orbán, who has governed Hungary since 2010, is running against Péter Magyar, leader of the center-right opposition TISZA party and a former ally who has turned into one of the prime minister’s most vocal critics.

Magyar has accused Orbán’s government of allowing Russian influence in Hungarian politics and compared the prime minister to János Kádár, the Soviet-backed communist leader who ruled Hungary after the 1956 uprising.

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The campaign has increasingly centered on foreign policy and Hungary’s stance toward the war in Ukraine, with Orbán repeatedly criticizing Kyiv and Zelensky during the election campaign.

Zelensky criticizes anti-Ukrainian rhetoric

According to Ukrinform, Zelensky said the Hungarian government has contributed to spreading negative attitudes toward Ukraine among the Hungarian public.

“The worst thing is that today’s Hungarian government is spreading anti-Ukrainian sentiment among Hungarian society,” Zelensky said.

He warned that such rhetoric damages long-term relations between the two countries.

“We are neighbors. It harms the economies of both countries, the post-war economy and business, trade relations, and relations between our people,” he said.

Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine has not promoted hostility toward Hungary or the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine.

“We do not spread negativity, hatred, or disrespect toward the people of Hungary or the national minority who are citizens of our state,” he added.

Kyiv accuses Hungarian leadership of fueling tensions

Zelensky said that, at the level of Hungary’s leadership, specific actions and messaging have contributed to increasing tensions:

“No one hides it. Informational and media hatred is everywhere.”

The president also pointed to recent diplomatic disputes and political decisions that have complicated relations between Kyiv and Budapest.

He cited Hungary’s repeated blocking of certain EU initiatives related to Ukraine, including funding decisions and sanctions measures.

“They constantly look for reasons to block something and slightly support Russia,” Zelensky said.

Ukraine denies interfering in Hungarian politics

Zelensky also rejected accusations that Ukraine might be attempting to influence Hungary’s internal political processes.

“We do not influence this choice and do not want to. We are not engaged in any political technologies inside Hungary,” he said.

The president added that claims suggesting Ukrainian involvement in Hungary’s domestic politics were unfounded.

“I have heard such accusations, but there is no evidence – it is a lie,” he stated.

Zelensky also alleged that Russian political strategists are working inside Hungary and assisting the current government’s election campaign.

Ukraine open to future cooperation with Hungary

Despite the tensions, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine remains willing to work with any Hungarian leadership that seeks constructive relations and respects Ukraine’s geopolitical choices.

“We will work with any leadership in Hungary, with anyone who wants to cooperate, live in peace with Ukraine, not block our geopolitical choice, and be good neighbors,” Zelensky said.

“We are ready to work in a friendly way if that person is not an ally of Putin – the leader of the aggressor state,” he added.

Recent tensions between Kyiv and Budapest

Relations between the two countries have been strained by a series of recent political and diplomatic disputes.

Hungary’s government earlier rejected measures related to Ukraine’s EU accession, additional military support for Kyiv and proposals to strengthen the EU’s security role.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has also demanded the reopening of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which carries Russian crude through Ukraine to Hungary and other Central European countries. Hungarian officials have accused Kyiv of preventing the restart of oil deliveries and warned that the disruption threatens Hungary’s energy security.

Orbán has threatened to block a proposed €90 billion EU loan package for Ukraine until oil transit through the pipeline resumes. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has voiced similar concerns over oil supplies and aligned himself with Budapest in criticizing the situation.

Separately, Hungarian authorities briefly detained several Ukrainian Oschadbank employees transporting cash between Austria and Ukraine as part of regular interbank operations. The employees were later released and returned to Ukraine, though the funds were not returned, Ukrainian officials said.