Ukrainian FM Sybiha compares Orbán to Hitler's henchman
Photo: Andrii Sybiha (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has compared Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to a henchman of Adolf Hitler.
He said that by blocking Ukraine's path to Europe, Orbán is committing a crime against the Hungarian people and Hungary itself. Sybiha stated that in response to remarks by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who accused Ukraine of interfering in Hungary's elections.
"It is obvious that the European Union is an area of peace. It was created after World War II to prevent another war. Ukraine's accession to the EU would bring peace closer and guarantee security and prosperity for all of Europe and for the entire Hungarian nation," Sybiha said.
Hitler's henchman Ferenc Szálasi
Ukraine's FM stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace but seeks to prolong the war. By blocking Ukraine's EU accession, he said, "Orbán is fulfilling Putin's wishes," undermining peace in Europe and "turning Hungary into an accomplice of the Kremlin regime."
"Today, Orbán is acting not even like Miklós Horthy, but like Hitler's henchman Ferenc Szálasi. This is a lesson from World War II," Sybiha stated.
He also said Orbán's claim that Ukraine should not be allowed into the EU for the next 100 years is actually aimed at ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine's Transcarpathia. He called it a "cynical" reference to a "peace treaty signed more than 100 years ago that was tragic for Hungarians."
Orbán doesn't care about Hungarians
"Someone has to say this harsh truth. Viktor Orbán and his team do not care about the well-being and security of Hungarians living in Ukraine. Orbán simply wants to keep them as hostages to his geopolitical adventures and to continue laundering money through various foreign schemes and foundations," Sybiha said.
He added that Hungary and its people do not deserve to "once again find itself on the wrong side of history—as an accomplice to a new form of inhumane ideology represented by the Putin regime."
"The Hungarian people are a people of dignity and freedom—the people of Ferenc Rákóczi II, Sándor Petőfi, and Imre Nagy, not of Orbán," Sybiha said.
He also warned that Hungary's leadership should fear not Ukraine during elections, but the Hungarian people themselves — "who are tired of lies, kleptocracy, and hatred."
Background
On January 23, Szijjártó claimed that Ukraine was trying to influence the formation of Hungary's government and force it to follow Brussels' line.
Meanwhile, Orbán said he sees no chance of Ukraine joining the EU in the foreseeable future, claiming there would be no Hungarian parliament willing to approve it "for the next 100 years."
He also accused Ukrainian authorities of trying to destabilize his government, arguing that Kyiv is interested in replacing Hungary's political leadership with one more loyal to Ukraine.
