A diplomatic rift has erupted between Kyiv and Budapest after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that Ukrainian soldiers could “call and speak” to those blocking a €90 billion EU loan—widely understood to mean Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán.
Speaking after a government meeting on Thursday, March 5th, Zelensky said the contact details of those responsible for blocking the funds could be handed to Ukrainian soldiers so they could “call and speak to him in their own language.” The comments quickly triggered condemnation from Hungarian officials and political figures across Europe.
Orbán said the remarks were an attack on Hungary itself.
President Zelensky’s threats are not about me. He is threatening Hungary. Unfortunately for him, he cannot stop me from protecting Hungarian families.
The dispute is closely tied to Hungary’s demand that Ukraine restore Russian oil transit through the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, which supplies crude to Hungary and Slovakia. Budapest has argued that the energy issue must be resolved before it will consider lifting its objections to the proposed EU financial support for Kyiv.
Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó issued an even sharper response, accusing Kyiv of attempting to pressure Budapest over its position on the loan package and energy policy.
No one can threaten Hungary or its prime minister. No one can blackmail us just because we refuse to pay the price of Ukraine’s war and refuse to accept higher energy prices because of Ukraine.
The controversy quickly spread beyond Hungary. Slovak prime minister Robert Fico expressed “full solidarity” with Orbán, warning that continued rhetoric from Kyiv could prompt other EU governments to reconsider their backing for the loan package.
If the Ukrainian president continues like this, it may happen that other EU member states will also block the €90 billion loan for Ukraine.
Political figures on the European Right also reacted strongly. Harald Vilimsky, a Member of the European Parliament for Austria’s FPÖ, said the Patriots group “fully supports our Hungarian friends,” while the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament condemned what it described as “unacceptable” intimidation tactics, saying that “threats or suggestions of physical intimidation have no place in political discourse.”
Former French MEP Florian Philippot called for an immediate halt to aid for Kyiv, while Polish MP Krzysztof Mulawa of the Konfederacja party pointed to growing skepticism in Poland over continued financial support for Ukraine following corruption scandals.
As Budapest continues to insist on the restoration of oil flows before unlocking the loan package, the dispute has escalated beyond a policy disagreement into a broader clash over diplomatic norms. While the Commission remains firmly on Ukraine’s side, Zelensky’s remarks have hardened Hungary’s position and exposed widening divisions inside the EU over financial and political support for Kyiv.
