Hungarian professor: Kyiv should react more calmly to Budapest’s aggressive statements

Director of the Institute of Democracy: Ukraine must show calm in the conflict with Hungary

The Director of the Institute of Democracy, Professor of Sociology at the Central European University, Laszlo Brusht believes that Ukraine will gain nothing from confrontation with Hungary. He urged Ukrainian officials to avoid escalating the conflict amid the election campaign in Hungary.

Brusht, commenting on the possible development of the conflict between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, emphasized that Kyiv should not engage in a war of words. In his opinion, the confrontation between the neighbors will only worsen the chances of the Hungarian opposition in the elections scheduled for April 12, 2026.

He noted that most Hungarians wish to see Ukraine as a free and prosperous country, a neighbor, and a full member of the European Union. Brusht emphasized that there are currently no grounds for further escalation of relations between the two countries, especially considering the current political situation.

Let us recall that Hungary blocked a credit of 90 billion euros for Ukraine, agreed upon at the European Council in December last year. This happened after Ukraine halted the transit of Russian oil through the “Druzhba” pipeline. The next conflict incident occurred on March 6, when Hungarian law enforcement detained Ukrainian cash couriers carrying cash and gold belonging to the Savings Bank of Ukraine.

These elections are considered some of the most competitive in recent years, as they may determine Hungary’s further political course.