Hungary expels two diplomats in Ukraine spying row
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Ukrainian servicemen delivering ammunition, water and fuel near the frontline on May 7 in the Donetsk region, Ukraine.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Follow topic:
KYIV/BUDAPEST - Hungary expelled two Ukrainian diplomats in response to the detention of two people whom authorities in Kyiv said had been spying for its European Union neighbour.
It’s the latest flash point in Ukraine-Hungary ties, which have deteriorated sharply after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban became Ukraine’s main antagonist in the EU since Russia’s invasion.
Two people were detained after getting caught gathering data on the Ukrainian military in the western Zakarpattya region, Ukraine’s intelligence service, known by the initials SBU, said in a statement on its website on May 9. They were also allegedly trying to gauge public opinion about a potential Hungarian peacekeeping force in the area.
Hours later, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said two Ukrainian embassy officials in Budapest, whom he alleged work as “spies under diplomatic cover,” would be expelled in response.
“We won’t endure constant Ukrainian smear campaigns against Hungary and the Hungarian people,” Mr Szijjarto said in statement on Facebook.
The detained individuals in Ukraine are suspected of committing treason under martial law that’s in effect due to Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine. If convicted, they may face life in prison. It’s the first time Ukraine has exposed a Hungarian-run espionage ring, the SBU said.
Ukraine’s antagonist
Mr Orban has worked to slow or block EU aid to Ukraine since the outbreak of the war while pushing for an end to sanctions against Russia. Mr Orban is now campaigning against Ukraine’s EU accession before Hungarian elections next year.
“Admitting Ukraine into the European Union would be economic suicide,” Mr Orban told state radio on May 9.
Hungary has justified its anti-Ukrainian rhetoric by blaming Kyiv for failing to ensure the rights of its ethnic kin. Ukraine has disputed the Hungarian argument and has said it was a pretext for aligning Budapest with Moscow.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a joint news briefing in Kyiv on July 2, 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar, who leads in polls before the next elections, called on Mr Orban to immediately refute Ukrainian allegations, calling it a “matter with serious national security implications.”
“There are two possibilities,” Mr Magyar said in a Facebook post. “First, that Viktor Orban credibly refutes Ukraine’s claims. The second, well, it’s best not even think about that.” BLOOMBERG
