Overview
- Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Kyiv summoned Hungary’s ambassador to protest a petition opposing plans to send large sums from the European Union to Ukraine.
- Szijjártó called the move gross interference in Hungary’s internal affairs and said Ukrainian authorities intend to restrict visits by Hungarian officials to Zakarpattia.
- He reiterated that Hungary will not support directing EU funds to Ukraine over the next decade, citing a figure of $800 billion and announcing a national signature drive.
- The confrontation follows the EU’s December 2025 decision to organize a €90 billion joint loan for Ukraine, with reports that Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic are not taking part.
- A day earlier, Szijjártó warned that the opposition plans to cut Russian oil and gas if it wins April elections, predicting tripled household utility bills and invoking IMF-based estimates of about $10 billion in costs and a loss of more than 4% of GDP.