Viktor Orbán questions Ukraine's sovereignty amid spat over Hungarian drone incursion

Published on 29/09/2025 - 13:54 GMT+2

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán played down the anticipation of Hungarian drones violating Ukraine's airspace successful an interrogation released connected Monday. Even if a drone enters Ukraine from Hungary, Orbán said, Kyiv should woody with drones coming from the east, from Russia.

On Friday, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that a reconnaissance drone from Hungary violated the airspace of Ukraine, flying implicit concern installations successful the Transcarpathian region.

Earlier, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó rejected the Ukrainian claims, but Orbán didn't contradict the incident.

"I judge my ministers, but let's accidental it did really alert a fewer metres there, truthful what? Ukraine is not an autarkic country. Ukraine is not a sovereign country," Orbán said.

In the interview, the Prime Minister argued that Ukraine was not successful information from its Western NATO neighbours and should ore connected Russian drones connected its eastbound frontline.

"Ukraine is not astatine warfare with Hungary; it is astatine warfare with Russia. It should beryllium acrophobic with the drones connected its eastbound border, arsenic determination are NATO subordinate states here. Ukraine's hinterland is safe. Nobody volition onslaught it from there. I don't deliberation the Poles, Slovaks, Hungarians oregon Bulgarians would privation to onslaught them. This is simply a hoax. It has nary significance," Orbán said.

Tensions are precocious betwixt Hungary and Ukraine

Earlier, the Hungarian and Ukrainian overseas ministers exchanged words implicit the issue. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó denied that the drone successful question was from Hungary and accused Ukraine's person of fostering anti-Hungarian sentiment.

"Volodymyr Zelenskyy is becoming crazily anti-Hungarian, present helium sees horrors," Szijjártó said.

His Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha replied with a representation showing the way of drone, calling Hungarian officials blind.

"For the unsighted Hungarian officials. [This is the] Exact way of yesterday’s drone incursion from Hungary into Ukrainian airspace. Our Armed Forces person gathered each of the indispensable evidence, and we are inactive waiting for Hungary to explicate what this entity did successful our airspace," Sybiha wrote.

Relations betwixt Hungary and Ukraine are astatine a historical low, pursuing a bid of incidents. Ukraine bombed the Druzhba pipeline connected Russian territory, efficaciously stopping lipid deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia for days.

Hungary is besides the main hostile of Ukraine's EU accession ambitions, threatening a veto connected opening negotiating chapters. Prime Minister Orbán said earlier that Ukraine's joining the EU would beryllium an economical catastrophe for Hungary and the EU alike.