Ukraine, Hungary trade barbs over Zelenskyy remarks

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andriy Sybiha has rebuked his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, after the two exchanged comments on social media.

Responding to Szijjártó, Sybiha wrote: “I will answer you in a Hungarian manner. You should not tell the President of Ukraine what to do, what to say, or when. He is the President of Ukraine, not Hungary. Hungary’s energy security is in your hands. Diversify and become independent from Russia, just like the rest of Europe.”

Earlier, Hungary’s foreign minister had accused President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of using Ukraine’s national holiday to “intimidate” Hungary.  Szijjártó called on the Ukrainian leader to stop issuing what he described as threats.

Relations between Kyiv and Budapest have been strained throughout the war, with Hungary maintaining close energy ties to Moscow while other EU states have sought to reduce their reliance on Russian supplies.