Orbán: West is Plundering Ukraine, Not Saving It

Tensions between Budapest and Kyiv have reached a boiling point following a series of sharp statements from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He described the Ukrainian people as “unfortunate” and accused Western nations of plundering the country under the guise of providing aid. In a swift and angry response, Ukrainian officials labeled Orbán as being obsessed with Russian energy and beholden to Kremlin propaganda, further deepening the diplomatic rift that has been widening amid espionage accusations and disagreements over the war.

At the heart of the dispute are Orbán’s provocative claims that Ukraine is not a sovereign or independent state. “If we, the West, decide not to give a single forint, Ukraine could cease to exist by tomorrow,” the Prime Minister stated, adding that he had previously informed former U.S. President Donald Trump that Russia had already emerged victorious in the military conflict. Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Andriy Sybiha, fired back on social media, asserting that Orbán remains “drugged by Russian propaganda” and suggesting his views on sovereignty would change once he “frees himself from his dependence on Russian energy.”

Orbán has remained defiant on the issue of energy, vowing that Budapest will not abandon Russian oil and gas, which he deems essential for Hungary’s energy security and economic stability. He argued that switching suppliers would inevitably lead to higher energy costs for the Hungarian population, and stressed that his government is guided solely by its own national interests. Elaborating on his view of Western involvement, Orbán claimed that while the West speaks of protecting Ukraine, it is actually engaged in an “imperialist struggle for its land, resources, and money.”

This standoff extends into the broader European political arena, where Hungary continues to be a major obstacle to Ukraine’s ambitions to join the European Union. EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, recently noted that while the bloc is ready to begin accession negotiations with Kyiv, it requires the unanimous consent of all 27 member states—a consensus currently blocked by Budapest. Some analysts, like Professor Stanislav Tkachenko, suggest the EU establishment has long viewed Orbán, one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders, as an “enfant terrible” for his refusal to follow the collective line, viewing the current friction as part of a larger power struggle within the bloc.

The souring relations have also spilled over into a media tit-for-tat. The Hungarian government recently blocked access to 12 Ukrainian media outlets in an apparent retaliation for Kyiv’s ban on several Hungarian publications accused of spreading Russian propaganda. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tikhy drew a sharp distinction, claiming, “The difference is that Ukraine is blocking Russian propaganda, whereas the Orbán government is blocking Hungarians’ access to fact-based journalism.”