Ukraine to expel two Hungarian diplomats in response to Budapest

Ukraine has decided to expel two Hungarian diplomats in response to Hungary's earlier actions, according to Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Sybiha.

“Two Hungarian diplomats must leave our country within 48 hours,” Sybiha announced. “We have summoned the Hungarian ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and handed over the corresponding note. Our actions are guided by the principle of reciprocity and the protection of our national interests.”

The move follows serious allegations made by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on May 9, claiming it had uncovered a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in the country’s Zakarpattia region. According to the SBU, the network was gathering sensitive information about regional military infrastructure and studying the political and social attitudes of locals—particularly how they might react if Hungarian troops entered the region.

In an initial response, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated that his government had not received any official notice from Kyiv regarding the espionage case. However, just hours later, Hungary expelled two Ukrainian diplomats in retaliation for the accusations. Szijjártó then said Budapest's expulsion order was in response to what he called Ukrainian "propaganda".