The already icy relationship between Hungary and Ukraine took a sharp turn for the worse late last week after both nations expelled two of each other’s diplomats in a tit-for-tat espionage row that reveals not only worsening bilateral tensions but also raises fresh doubts about Ukraine’s readiness to join the European Union.
The diplomatic spat exploded after Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) announced Friday that it had dismantled what it described as a ‘Hungarian military intelligence network’ operating in Ukraine’s western Transcarpathia region, a historically Hungarian-influenced area that is home to over 150,000 ethnic Hungarians.
According to the SBU, two former Ukrainian military personnel—described as a man and a woman—were arrested on charges of treason and accused of passing military and social intelligence to Hungarian handlers, including data on Ukraine’s air defense systems and speculation on local sentiment toward a possible Hungarian military intervention.
In a rare and dramatic move, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha publicly declared the expulsion of two Hungarian diplomats on X (formerly Twitter), citing “national interests” and reciprocity.
“This is the first time in the history of Ukraine that we have uncovered a Hungarian military intelligence network working against our state,” said SBU spokesman Artyom Degtyarenko, adding that the alleged agents were caught with cash and specialized equipment for covert communication.
Hungary’s response was swift and scathing.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó categorically dismissed Ukraine’s accusations as “defamatory” and part of an ongoing smear campaign orchestrated by Kyiv. In a statement on Facebook, Szijjártó announced that Hungary had expelled two Ukrainian diplomats for conducting espionage under diplomatic cover.
The past three years have shown that the war in Ukraine is being fought not only on the battlefield, but also in the information space. Anti-Hungarian propaganda is often used without any factual basis. https://t.co/l5x0OscNo4
— Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) May 9, 2025
“These individuals were not conducting diplomatic activity—they were spying, under the cover of diplomacy,” Szijjártó declared. “Ukraine continuously uses anti-Hungarian propaganda, often without any basis. This is political blackmail, and we won’t tolerate it.”
Today, we expelled two Ukrainian spies working under diplomatic cover at the Ukrainian Embassy in Budapest.
We will not tolerate smear campaigns against Hungary and the Hungarian people.
Since the war in Ukraine began, anti-Hungarian propaganda has intensified. The latest…
— Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) May 9, 2025
The Hungarian Foreign Ministry handed a formal note to Ukraine’s ambassador in Budapest on Friday, underscoring Hungary’s view that Kyiv’s latest accusations are linked to Budapest’s independent foreign policy, particularly its refusal to supply arms to Ukraine and its calls for a negotiated peace with Russia.
“Because we are not on the side of war, we are being punished by slander,” Szijjártó said. “Hungary will not be dragged into a war not of its making, and we reject the notion that refusing to send weapons equates to supporting aggression.”
This latest row underscores deeper, long-standing disputes between the two countries, particularly over the rights of Ukraine’s Hungarian minority. Since 2017, Ukraine has passed a series of language and education reforms that Budapest argues systematically erode the cultural and linguistic rights of ethnic Hungarians. The laws prohibit minority-language education beyond primary school and restrict the use of minority languages in official settings—a move Budapest rightly considers discriminatory.
From Hungary’s perspective, the dispute is also symptomatic of a broader Western hypocrisy. While Brussels and Washington continue to pressure Budapest to fall in line with a pro-Kyiv consensus, Hungary insists on charting a sovereign course—one that includes dialogue with Russia and skepticism about Ukraine’s EU and NATO aspirations.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been blunt: “Ukraine’s accession to the EU is not a good deal for Europe. It’s a liability,” he said in a recent interview. “We were admitted to the Union because it made sense for Europe. Ukraine’s membership does not.”
Indeed, the latest espionage accusations come at a time when Hungary is under mounting pressure from Eurocrats like European People’s Party (EPP) President Manfred Weber, who called on Budapest to stop obstructing Ukraine’s integration. But Hungary is pushing back hard, asserting that it cannot ignore the implications of accepting a country mired in war, accused of corruption, and prone to targeting its own minorities.
Even in Western policy circles, some have started to echo Hungary’s concerns. Recent shifts in US foreign policy suggest an emerging appetite for restraint rather than escalation—a stance that increasingly aligns with Budapest rather than Brussels.
Still, the gravity of Ukraine accusing an EU and NATO member of espionage—and Hungary retaliating in kind—raises troubling questions about the future of regional security, diplomatic norms, and the increasingly fragmented state of the Western alliance.
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