The right-wing Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament has condemned remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Hungarian officials say amounted to a threat against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, deepening an already bitter dispute between Kyiv and Budapest.
In a statement published late on Thursday evening, the group described Zelensky’s comments as “unacceptable” and “incompatible with democratic principles” after video footage emerged of the Ukrainian president making remarks widely interpreted as being directed at Orbán during a press briefing in Kyiv.
“We hope that in the European Union, one person will not block the 90 billion [euros]. Otherwise, we will give this person’s address to the armed forces, to our guys, let them call him and talk to him in their own language,” Zelensky said in his native tongue.
The Ukrainian president did not name any individual, but the remark was widely interpreted as referring to Orbán, whose government recently blocked the latest European funding package earmarked for Kyiv. The loan needed unanimous sign-off from all European member states due to the necessary amendments to the bloc’s Multi-Annual Financial Framework, which cannot be actioned by a majority vote.
🚨 | Zelensky’s threats against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán are unacceptable.
Read our statement: pic.twitter.com/L8lx6UHE5P
— Patriots for Europe (@PatriotsEP) March 5, 2026
“Statements suggesting intimidation or threats of violence are incompatible with democratic principles and with the spirit of mutual respect that should guide relations between partners,” Patriots for Europe said.
It added that the comments were particularly troubling given the level of financial support already provided to Ukraine by European Union member states, a figure it put at approximately €200 billion to date.
The group also linked the dispute to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Druzhba, or “Friendship”, oil pipeline, which transports Russian crude across Ukrainian territory to Central and Eastern Europe, and of which Hungary and Slovakia are substantial recipients. Kyiv remains insistent that the pipeline will remain closed for the foreseeable future, claiming it has been damaged by Russian shelling, but officials in both Budapest and Bratislava are skeptical of the Ukrainian position.
“These remarks are also concerning in light of the situation surrounding the Druzhba pipeline, which is vital for the energy security of two EU Member States, Slovakia and Hungary,” the right-wing group’s statement read, noting that experts have not been permitted to conduct a fact-finding mission to assess its current status.
The response from Budapest to Zelensky’s remarks was less diplomatic. Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said the comments were “beyond every limit” and claimed they reflected “the kind of ‘culture’ coming from Kyiv.”
“This is the man Brussels admires and the country they want to fast-track into the European Union,” Szijjártó said, reiterating Hungary’s scepticism about Ukraine’s bid to join the bloc.
“No one can threaten Hungary or its Prime Minister. No one can blackmail us just because we refuse to pay the price of Ukraine’s war and refuse to accept higher energy prices because of Ukraine,” he added.
Orbán himself also escalated the rhetoric on Thursday, posting a defiant message on social media. “There will be no deals, no compromise. We will break the Ukrainian oil blockade by force. Hungary’s energy will soon flow again through the Friendship pipeline,” the Hungarian prime minister wrote.
President @ZelenskyyUa's threats are not about me. He is threatening Hungary.
Unfortunately for him, he cannot stop me from protecting Hungarian families. 🇭🇺🇭🇺🇭🇺 pic.twitter.com/7bPSeBjexn
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) March 5, 2026
“President Zelensky’s threats are not about me. He is threatening Hungary. Unfortunately for him, he cannot stop me from protecting Hungarian families,” Orbán later added.
Even Hungary’s opposition Tisza party, which is currently engaged in a fiercely contested election campaign against Orbán’s governing Fidesz party, condemned the remarks. Speaking at a campaign rally on Thursday, party leader Péter Magyar said the Ukrainian president had crossed a line.
“The Ukrainian president threatened Prime Minister Viktor Orbán,” Magyar told supporters. “Let me make it clear that no one, not a single Hungarian, can be threatened by a foreign head of state.”
Despite the growing diplomatic dispute, a formal update posted on the Ukrainian presidential office’s website late on Thursday made no reference to the controversy, and Zelensky has not clarified the remarks publicly.
Instead, the update focused on the government’s latest work to establish legislative priorities, reform Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and define “joint positions on key challenges for the coming weeks.”
