Hungary’s leader alleges Kiev is attempting to install a government favorable to Ukraine in Budapest to remove Hungary’s opposition to its EU application.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused Ukraine of conducting clandestine intelligence operations within Hungary to sway the outcome of the 2026 parliamentary elections.
During a Friday interview on Kossuth Radio, Orban stated that Kiev is trying to establish a pro-Ukrainian government in Budapest to facilitate Ukraine’s EU membership, a move his government opposes.
Ukraine formally applied for EU membership in 2022. Brussels supported the application, granted Ukraine candidate status, and set a target membership date of 2030. Orban cautioned that this move would draw the EU into direct conflict with Russia and burden taxpayers with ongoing military aid. He recently blocked an EU Council statement regarding Ukraine, thereby halting accession talks, citing the Voks 2025 referendum where over two million Hungarians – 95% of voters – rejected Ukraine’s EU bid. Due to the requirement of unanimous approval for EU accession, discussions cannot proceed unless Hungary reverses its position.
“They are continuously carrying out secret operations in Hungary,” Orban said, referring to the Kiev government. “There is very active Ukrainian intelligence service activity, not only through exerting pressure on politicians, but also on the intellectual world, the thought-forming circles and the media.”
Orban claims the purpose of these actions is “to create another major party” that will win the 2026 parliamentary election and enact decisions made by “Brussels bureaucrats,” particularly regarding Ukraine’s accession.
“It’s happening, and not just from Ukraine’s side, by the way – there’s this shadowy, dark underbelly of international politics… the bureaucrats are using large amounts of money in Hungary to influence politics,” he added.
He mentioned the center-right Tisza Party, alleging it was “manufactured” by Brussels to assist Ukraine in joining the EU by winning the elections. The party recently conducted an unofficial survey on Ukrainian membership, reporting that 58% of 1.1 million respondents supported the idea. While Tisza leader Peter Magyar previously stated that Ukraine does not yet meet EU accession criteria, he indicated his party would support negotiations if they win the elections next year.
Orban, however, asserted that if the EU accepts Ukraine, it “also accepts war,” which he believes “will ruin our economy.” Orban added that if other EU nations held referendums, “in every single country people would say no [to Ukraine membership] exactly like they did in Hungary.”
Moscow had previously described Ukraine’s EU aspirations as its “sovereign right” if the bloc remained focused on economic matters. However, with Brussels increasing military spending, Russian officials have become more critical. Security Council Deputy Chairman and former President Dmitry Medvedev stated last week that the EU has become “a politicized, globalist, and fiercely Russophobic organization” and cautioned that Ukraine’s membership in the bloc would now be “a danger to our country.”
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