Protest in Budapest over Zelenskyy threats and Druzhba closure

A protest was held in front of the Ukrainian embassy in Budapest on Friday, attended by about 100 people, including Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Fidesz parliamentary group leader Máté Kocsis.

Participants protested against the closure of the Druzhba oil pipeline and alleged threats by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy towards Viktor Orbán. They carried banners depicting opposition leader Péter Magyar of the Tisza party as ‘Zelenskyy’s puppet’ and slogans such as ‘Zelenskyy = Saddam’.

In his speech, Szijjártó called the war in Ukraine a ‘senseless and hopeless conflict’. He said the mobilisation in Ukraine amounts to an ‘open hunt for people in the streets’, which, according to him, also affects ethnic Hungarians.

He also accused Ukraine of trying to drag Hungary into the war, interfering in Hungarian elections and organising an ‘oil blockade’ in cooperation with Brussels and the Hungarian opposition. ‘There will be no pro-Ukrainian government or pro-Ukrainian prime minister in Hungary,’ he declared.

The protest lasted about an hour and ended with the Hungarian national anthem.

(est)