A tense diplomatic dispute has erupted between Budapest and former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, after the latter harshly criticized the Hungarian Prime Minister, accusing him of “no longer knowing the value of dignity“. Viktor Orban’s response was swift, bringing direct accusations and warnings in the context of the war in Ukraine.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban responded to the open letter of the former Ukrainian leader, warning that Hungary will not yield to political pressure or blackmail. “Tell your president that state terrorism, through which he blew up the German Nord Stream gas pipeline, will not work against Hungary“, Orban declared, according to Kyiv24.
The Hungarian Prime Minister emphasized that, at the beginning of the war, Hungary warmly welcomed Ukrainian refugees and offered them asylum. He also mentioned that he ordered the opening of schools teaching in the Ukrainian language, a facility that Ukraine denies to the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia.
“The country you are fighting against today is not the enemy of Hungary or the Hungarian people, and we have no intention of changing that. We still want to remain your friends, but we will not take part in your war. Therefore, please accept the fact that we will not send money, weapons or soldiers for your war”, Orban added.
Yushchenko’s Letter
Viktor Yushchenko, the third president of Ukraine between 2005 and 2010 and the central figure of the Orange Revolution, harshly criticized the Hungarian leader.
“Today I look at your actions and I wonder: where has that Viktor disappeared? How did the man who witnessed the building of a free Hungary align himself today with the forces that want to destroy the neighbor’s freedom? Ukraine is bleeding today for the same values that we once debated at the negotiation table. We are defending not only our own land, but also the peace of your country, as well as the whole of Europe. Politics is not just about numbers, profits or gas. It is, first and foremost, about values. When you choose the side of the aggressor, you betray not only Ukraine – you betray the memory of your own people, who know what Soviet tanks on the streets of Budapest mean”, wrote Yushchenko.
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