Latest news with #Ukrainian-Hungarian
Budapest Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
National Security Service identifies more Ukrainian spies
Máté Kocsis, ruling Fidesz's parliamentary group leader, said the National Security Service have identified more Ukrainian spies, including Roland Tseber as an 'illegal' officer of the Ukrainian intelligence service, and István Holló, who is under investigation by the National Office of Investigation on suspicion of espionage activities. After a meeting of the national security committee on Tuesday, Kocsis told a press conference that Tseber, as an 'illegal' officer, had probably been actively building relations with members of the Hungarian opposition for a long time. Kocsis added that Tseber had met several leading politicians and senior officials of parliamentary parties as part of his activities in Hungary. In the meantime, Holló's activities in Hungary involved active intelligence activities to learn about Hungary's army and energy systems in cooperation with Ukrainian military intelligence, Kocsis said. He added that Tseber was earlier a dual Ukrainian-Hungarian citizen, but he returned his Hungarian citizenship in 2017. He has built a political career in Ukraine, including as a representative of the Transcarpathian County Council, Kocsis said. Tseber had been on the radar of the Hungarian national security authorities for years, and he was banned from entering and staying in Hungary due to his intensifying activities in 2024, he added. Holló, who had also been on the radar of Hungarian counterintelligence for a long time, is a Ukrainian citizen who had never held Hungarian citizenship, Kocsis said. He has been involved in activities to influence Hungary's international reputation in a negative way and aimed to make the Hungarian government change its position concerning Ukraine with the help of external pressure, he added. In response to a question about the transparency law, Kocsis said the aim was to prevent, for instance, the disinformation campaigns that are currently underway from Ukraine, and to protect the Hungarian public space from foreign secret services and foreign state interests.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hungarian PM to raise Ukraine's "campaign to discredit Hungary" with NATO's Rutte
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán plans to complain about Ukraine and its "unacceptable" actions during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Source: Magyar Nemzet, as reported by European Pravda Details: Orbán said he intends to "clearly express Hungary's concerns about Ukraine". According to the Hungarian Prime Minister, it is unprecedented that a non-NATO state, seeking good relations with the Alliance, "conducts a coordinated, funded and organised campaign to discredit a NATO member state." He claims that what he calls attacks on Hungary are "part of a conscious, well-coordinated, organised, financed campaign to discredit, behind which stands the Ukrainian secret service." According to Orbán, Kyiv "has gone too far", and it is time for NATO to give a clear response. Quote: "This is unacceptable; NATO cannot tolerate this," Orbán said, noting that this is why he wants to assess how the Alliance's leadership views this situation. Background: Tensions in Ukrainian-Hungarian relations have been escalating since the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) announced it had uncovered a Hungarian intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast (Transcarpathia) in Ukraine's west. Hungary subsequently expelled two Ukrainian diplomats, accusing them of espionage. Ukraine announced the expulsion of two Hungarian diplomats in response. Hungary also detained and deported a former Ukrainian diplomat on Friday 9 May. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Orbán accuses Kyiv of attempted "smear campaign" against Hungary
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accused Ukraine's special services of attempting to disrupt a public survey among Hungarians on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. Source: Orbán's statement following the meeting of the Hungarian Defence Council on 13 May, as reported by European Pravda Details: Orbán described recent actions by Ukraine's security services as an unprecedented attack on Hungary. He claimed that Ukraine launched a coordinated campaign to discredit Hungary, aiming to undermine the survey on Ukraine's EU membership. He further alleged that Kyiv enlisted contacts within Hungary, including a Hungarian opposition politician, to execute this campaign and target Hungarian defence forces. Orbán called this alleged collaboration between Ukraine's special services and a Hungarian opposition party unprecedented in Hungary's memory. At the same time, he vowed that Hungary would complete its survey on Ukraine's European integration, asserting that neither Brussels nor Kyiv could decide on behalf of the Hungarian people. Background: A new escalation in Ukrainian-Hungarian relations began when Ukraine's Security Service (SSU) announced it had uncovered a Hungarian intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast (Transcarpathia) in Ukraine's west. Subsequently, Hungary expelled two Ukrainian diplomats in response, accusing them of espionage. Hungary also detained and expelled a former Ukrainian diplomat on Friday 9 May. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Budapest Times
04-04-2025
- Business
- Budapest Times
FM: Hungary-Serbia crude pipeline is another brave and sovereign decision
Minister Szijjártó said the capacity of the new pipeline would be around 4.5m tonnes per year, allowing the Pancevo refinery and Serbia to be supplied entirely from Hungary. Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said another 'brave and sovereign decision' could result in the construction of a crude pipeline between Hungary and Serbia. After a meeting with Dubravka Dedovic, Serbia's energy minister, in Belgrade on Wednesday, Minister Szijjártó said the feasibility study for the pipeline had been completed in Hungary and presented to representatives of both governments by Hungarian oil and gas company MOL on Wednesday. He added that the Serbian side had cleared the zoning regulations necessary for the construction. Minister Szijjártó said the pipeline, which will bring crude to Serbia, could finish by 2028. Before that, capacity of the pipeline running from the Ukrainian-Hungarian border to MOL's refinery south of the capital needs to be expanded, while a 190km pipeline must be constructed running to the Serbian border, he added. Minister Szijjártó said the capacity of the new pipeline would be around 4.5m tonnes per year, allowing the Pancevo refinery and Serbia to be supplied entirely from Hungary. He pointed to serious challenges to energy security in Central Europe as a result of the war in Ukraine and said Brussels had not offered any assistance in the matter, rather it had often taken steps that were opposed to the region's energy security interests. 'On this topic, it's clear that we can only rely on ourselves,' he added. He acknowledged the 'enormous role' Hungarian-Serbian energy cooperation plays to ensure both countries' energy security, noting that Hungary gets its gas via Serbia, through the TurkStream pipeline.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry outlines expectations for new ambassador to Hungary
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expects that Fedir Shandor, Ukraine's new ambassador to Hungary, who recently assumed office, will help improve bilateral dialogue. Source: Georgii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, during a briefing on Thursday, 27 February, as reported by European Pravda Details: Tykhyi revealed that the Foreign Ministry has high expectations for Ambassador Shandor's work in Hungary. Quote: "We are pleased that he has finally started his duties and presented his credentials. We are confident that his personal and principled stance will help develop these relations." Details: The Foreign Ministry spokesperson stressed that despite statements from some Hungarian politicians, relations between Kyiv and Budapest are progressing. He cited the opening of a bilingual Ukrainian-Hungarian school in Budapest and the development of border infrastructure as examples. Quote: "It is necessary to engage in dialogue with the Hungarian side, and we will continue doing so. Naturally, having an ambassador and a fully functioning embassy will make this process easier and more effective than when there was no ambassador." Background: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree appointing Fedir Shandor as Ukraine's new ambassador to Hungary on 21 December 2024. Fedir Shandor gained recognition as he joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces after Russia's invasion in February last year and delivered lectures to students from the trenches between battles. Ukraine has not had an ambassador to Hungary since July 2022, when Zelenskyy dismissed the previous envoy, Liubov Nepop. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
