Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has declared that Budapest intends to carry out a national referendum on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
According to Orbán, neither Kyiv nor Brussels has the authority to make such decisions without considering the will of the Hungarian people.
Neither Brussels nor Kyiv can make decisions over the heads of Hungarians. We will see the referendum through to the end, Orbán emphasized in his address.
The Hungarian leader also accused Ukraine of orchestrating a coordinated campaign aimed at sabotaging the planned vote. He claimed that Ukrainian intelligence services allegedly conducted an operation with the active involvement of the Hungarian opposition.
The espionage scandal is an operation by Ukrainian intelligence services, carried out with the active participation of the Hungarian opposition, with the goal of disrupting Hungary’s nationwide vote on Ukraine’s EU membership. Nothing like this has ever happened in human history, Orbán stated.
Amid growing tensions between Ukraine and Hungary — particularly over minority rights, energy policy, and military aid to Kyiv — these fresh accusations from Budapest may further complicate bilateral relations. Hungary has previously blocked or delayed several EU initiatives aimed at supporting Ukraine, insisting that its own national interests be taken into account.
While no official date has been announced for the referendum, Hungarian authorities maintain that citizens must be given the opportunity to voice their opinion on Ukraine’s potential EU membership.
