Some of that land given to Czechoslovakia after WWI is now in Ukraine.
Posted on 02/10/2026 9:27:28 AM PST by delta7
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared Ukraine an "enemy" of Hungary during a speech at a rally on Feb. 7, the independent regional outlet Index 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 Feb. 7, Orban criticized 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.
Some of that land given to Czechoslovakia after WWI is now in Ukraine.
I don’t get it. Thought he was one of the good guys. It’s no wonder there are so many wars over there.
This surprises me as I was in Eastern Hungary near the Ukrainian border since the war has started and Hungary was welcoming and giving aid to Ukrainian refugees.
Orban may have sealed his fate here.
he IS one of the good guys. One of the very few in Europe
I don’t think it is “pro-Russia” as much as it is keeping his people warm with cheap energy to back up their domestic nuclear and the only place to get it is Russia. Too bad they are land locked and not able to buy cheap plentiful US gas. I would also venture a guess that behind the scenes Zelensky has been meddling in every neighboring country behind the scenes pissing off everyone.
The EU is still buying Russian oil.
You think his country wants to pay more for energy? As I recall, Ukraine bombed the transportation mechanism for oil to get to Hungary.
What fate do you think he will get? A Nobel Prize?
Ukraine is a poor excuse for a country.
When Ukraine disappears, Hungary will move into transcarpathia to protect ethnic Hungarians from Azov reprisals.
Trump backs Orbán ahead of key Hungary election
I see nothing wrong with his statement. He speaks facts.
Why is Hungary obliged to give money to Ukraine and to send young Hungarian males to fight for Ukraine?
He is which is why he said what he said. The EU, Ukraine and other internationalist interests are looking for any reason to expand the conflict.
.......Orban, widely seen as the Kremlin’s closest ally in the European Union.......
Orban is a Hungarian patriot, NOT a “Kremlin stooge”!
Zelenskyy has been working against Hungary, and against the true Orthodox Church in Ukraine and its members. He has also been working against the peace that Ukraine, Russia, and Hungary, etc. need. Zelenskyy out!
This makes me like Orban even more. Any enemy of sniffy is a good guy.
Maybe he’s planning on liberating Zakarpattia Oblast.
In Hungary as in many other countries, Putin's system for developing and expanding Russian influence before the Ukraine War was that instead of open sales in the marketplace, cheap Russian oil and gas was delivered at a discount to select, secretive local intermediary companies that were owned by Russian allies. Those local allies in return paid kickbacks to influential Russians and, in one fashion or another, also bribed local political and business figures so as to assure protection of such a corrupt arrangement.
While Ukraine War sanctions ended this practice elsewhere in Europe, it survives in Hungary and seems to explain why Orban and his government are adamantly against doing without Russian oil and gas. I like Orban for his conservatism and hostility to the EU, but I have no illusions about him and his government.
Orban is smart. Unlike the Ukrainian leadership
Hungary has replaced Bulgaria as the European Union member state perceived to be the most cuorrupt, according to Transparency International.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-31/orban-s-hungary-seen-most-corrupt-in-eu-overtaking-bulgaria
In March 1939, Hungary, supported by Nazi Germany, seized and annexed Transcarpathia (Subcarpathian Rus) following the collapse of Czechoslovakia. The region, which had briefly declared independence as Carpatho-Ukraine, was occupied by Hungarian forces between March 15–18, 1939.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.