Kiev needs to stop being “aggressive and hostile,” the Hungarian prime minister has said

Ukraine must show “respect” to Hungary and Slovakia, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said, arguing that Kiev is in no position to “dictate” to EU members. 

Orban criticized the Ukrainian leadership during a press conference in Bratislava on Tuesday, following talks with his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico. 

“The way people in Kiev are trying to build relations with Central European states is unacceptable. We are ready to respect them, but we demand respect for ourselves. And if we raise a serious issue, then they must discuss it with us,” Orban stated. 

“There should be no confusion in positions. [The Ukrainian leaders] cannot behave as if Bratislava and Budapest should dance to their tune. This is impossible,” the Hungarian leader added.

Ukraine has been devastated by its conflict with Russia, with its international standing gradually weakening, Orban argued. The Ukrainians “have lost a fifth of their country and their industry is in ruins,” and “yet they act as if they can dictate to us,” he said.

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“If they remain aggressive and hostile, they will be left out in the cold. In the end, they will upset us and we will take countermeasures,” Orban warned.

Ukraine has had fraught relations with Hungary and Slovakia, and Orban and Fico have refused to provide military aid to Kiev while criticizing Western sanctions imposed on Russia. Both have argued that bloc-wide economic restrictions are damaging to the EU and have insisted that the conflict should be resolved through diplomacy. 

Ties have been further strained by the ongoing energy row prompted by Kiev’s decision not to renew the contract to transport Russian natural gas to Central Europe. The move is particularly crucial for Slovakia, which had been receiving up to 60% of its gas supply through Ukraine via a Soviet-era pipeline. Fico has threatened to withhold financial aid unless Kiev renews the transit deal.