Hungary calls Russian strikes on Zakarpattia region unacceptable
Photo: Anita Orbán (Getty Images)
Hungary summons Russian ambassador
Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said that on May 14, she held a meeting with Russian Ambassador to Budapest Yevgeny Stanislavov.
The conversation lasted about half an hour and focused on the Russian strike on the Zakarpattia region that took place a day earlier.
According to the Hungarian foreign minister, this is the first time since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion that Budapest has officially summoned a Russian diplomat over an attack on Ukrainian territory.
What Anita Orbán said
According to the minister, Hungary expressed its protest to the Russian side over the strike on the Zakarpattia region, where the Hungarian national minority lives.
"I once again stressed that the Hungarian government strongly condemns the Russian attack and demands an immediate end to the aggression against the civilian population," Orbán said.
Orbán also spoke out in defense of Hungarians living in Zakarpattia.
"I told the Russian ambassador that it is absolutely unacceptable for Hungary that Zakarpattia, where Hungarians live, is now also being attacked," Anita Orbán stated.
She also added that during the conversation, she demanded that Russia do everything possible to achieve a ceasefire and end the war as soon as possible.
Russian attack on Zakarpattia
On May 13, Russia carried out a large-scale aerial attack on Ukraine using strike drones. As a result of the attack, facilities in several regions of the country were damaged, including in the Zakarpattia region.
Following the attack, the official Budapest, for the first time, publicly issued a separate response specifically to strikes on the Zakarpattia region.
As previously reported, Hungary decided for the first time since the start of the full-scale war to summon the Russian ambassador to the Foreign Ministry after the Russian attack on Zakarpattia. Budapest said the diplomat was to arrive at the ministry on the morning of May 14.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said the new government intends to review its approach to European Union policy while maintaining its course toward protecting the interests of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.
