PM Orban declares Ukraine "enemy" of Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared Ukraine an "enemy" of Hungary during a speech at a rally on February 7, the Hungarian independent outlet Index has reported.

Orban, widely seen as the Kremlin's closest ally in the European Union, has repeatedly lashed out at Kyiv and Brussels throughout Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

Speaking at a rally in the Hungarian city Szombathely on February 7, Orban criticised Ukraine for demanding that the EU halt imports of cheap Russian energy.

"Anyone who says this is an enemy of Hungary, so Ukraine is our enemy," he said.

His remarks come shortly after the Council of the EU approved plans to ban Russian gas purchases by 2027. Hungary and Slovakia — both Moscow-friendly countries that remain heavily reliant on Russian gas — have challenged the decision in the European Court of Justice.

Orban also railed against Ukraine's EU aspirations, insisting again that while Hungary should cooperate with Ukraine as its neighbor, Kyiv should never be granted membership in the EU.

"Hungarians should not want military or economic cooperation with Ukrainians, because they are dragging us into war," he said.

Orban also announced that he would visit Washington, D.C. for the inaugural meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace."

While the EU phased out most Russian oil imports and reduced purchases of Russian gas by 75% between 2021 and 2025, it remains Moscow's leading buyer of both pipeline gas and liquified natural gas (LNG).

Hungary has long pushed back against broader EU efforts to cut dependence on Russian energy, wielding its veto power to block sanctions against Moscow and withhold aid to Ukraine. The recent move to ban Russian energy imports was introduced as a trade policy decision rather than a sanctions measure, allowing it to pass with a qualified majority despite opposition from Hungary and Slovakia.

Orban's latest inflammatory remarks come two months ahead of Hungary's parliamentary elections in April. While polls show Orban to be trailing opposition leader Peter Magyar, Orban dismissed these numbers as "propaganda" at the start of his speech.