Hungarian Foreign Minister Accuses Kiev of Trying to Influence Parliamentary Elections

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on Wednesday accused Kiev of trying to influence the results of the coming parliamentary elections in the country.

"The situation is that a few days ago the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called the Ukrainian Embassy in Budapest to discuss the possibility of them influencing the results of the elections in Hungary," Szijjarto said in a video posted on Facebook*.

Szijjarto added that "constant negotiations are going on" between the Hungarian opposition and the Ukrainian authorities. The opposition promised the Ukrainian side "to immediately make a decision on arms deliveries to Ukraine and immediately vote for sanctions against [Russian] gas and oil deliveries to Europe, including to Hungary" in the event of winning the elections, Szijjarto said.

Szijjarto underscored that there will be no arms deliveries to Ukraine nor a vote on sanctions against deliveries of Russian hydrocarbons while the present government remains in power in Hungary.

On Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Budapest does not support new sanctions against Russia, particularly in the area of energy, as these would harm Hungary more than Russia. On 27 February, Orban said that Budapest will not be delivering arms to Ukraine and issued a decree prohibiting the supply of weapons to Ukraine from the country's territory in early March.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised Budapest for opposing sanctions on Russian energy and a no-fly zone over Ukraine, and for refusing to supply Kiev with weapons and allow its transfer through its territory. He made an attempt to pressure Orban into "choosing a side" in the Ukrainian conflict, but the Hungarian president hit back:

"The Ukrainian point of view is completely understandable: they are asking for NATO intervention, the start of an air war, and for the supply of weapons. However, we are not Ukrainians, not Russians. We are Hungarians ... The answer to the question ‘which side is Hungary on?’ is Hungary is on the side of Hungary ... We help those in trouble, but we want to ensure and protect our own national interests," Orban said.

The parliamentary elections in Hungary will be held on 3 April.

*Facebook is banned in Russia over extremist activity.