Hungary makes cynical statement on aid to Ukraine: Ukrainian MFA responds
Photo: Viktor Orbán (Getty Images)
The Hungarian government will no longer provide money to Ukraine, allegedly due to a new corruption scandal in the energy sector, according to Twitter (X) accounts of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi.
"The golden illusion of Ukraine is falling apart. A wartime mafia network with countless ties to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been exposed. The energy minister has already resigned, and the main suspect has fled the country," Orbán declared.
According to him, the Brussels elite allegedly wants to pour in the money of European taxpayers.
"Thank you, but we want no part of this. We will not send the Hungarian people’s money to Ukraine. Anyhow, after all this, we certainly won't give in to the Ukrainian president’s financial demands and blackmail. It's high time Brussels finally understood where their money is really going," the Hungarian prime minister added.
What the Foreign Ministry says
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine issued a response to Orbán’s cynical statement, reminding the Hungarian politician of his own past corruption scandals.
"Lectures about corruption from a politician who is embroiled in corruption scandals and has made his country the poorest in the EU? No, thanks," Tykhyi emphasized.
What preceded the incident
On the morning of November 10, NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) detectives carried out searches at the home of businessman Tymur Mindich, co-owner of the Kvartal 95 studio, who is considered a close friend of President Zelenskyy. Investigative actions also took place involving suspended Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko.
According to the investigation, a so-called "barrier" scheme operated within Energoatom: contractors were forced to pay 10–15% of contract amounts as kickbacks. Those who refused were threatened with blocked payments or removal from the list of suppliers.
NABU reports that the funds were laundered through a back office in central Kyiv, which handled around 100 million dollars. The office belonged to the family of former Ukrainian MP and current Russian senator Andrii Derkach.
