On 3 May, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó declared that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “must accept” Budapest’s decision to block Ukraine’s European Union integration. Zelenskyy claims, 70% of Hungarians support Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

Posting on Facebook, Szijjártó insisted that “every Hungarian person has the right to have a say” in the process and criticized Kyiv’s approach, stating, “It is Ukraine that wants to join an integration of which we are already members—not the other way around… So, Kyiv should also choose its tone accordingly.” He included a screenshot of a Hungarian article with the headline “Zelenskyy: Viktor Orbán’s actions are very dangerous.“

That same day, President Zelenskyy said that Orbán’s obstruction of Ukraine’s EU accession is not a domestic Hungarian matter but an attempt to interfere with another country’s sovereign choice. He also stated that most Hungarians support Ukraine’s EU membership.

“By the way, the opposition to Orbán prepared an open survey for all Hungarians. 70% are for Ukraine’s accession to the EU. So, people in Hungary are for us. You know, he [Orbán] prepared a survey — supposedly the people are against. He controlled that survey. But there’s another survey, and in it, 70% are for Ukraine,” he stated during a press interaction, according to Interfax-Ukraine.

Orban’s government urges Hungarians to vote against Ukraine in survey on support for Ukraine’s EU membership

Zelenskyy argued that the referendum is being used as part of Hungary’s internal political struggle.

“Don’t drag us into your elections,” he said, directly accusing Orbán of exploiting Ukraine’s EU bid for electoral gain. “He’s blocking us in the EU. In the end, this tactic won’t win because people in Hungary support us. However much he agitates them, hate can’t win forever.”

The Ukrainian leader also called Orbán’s actions “very dangerous,” warning,

“We are watching closely and signaling to our partners that what he is doing is dangerous for the European Union. He can oppose us, but blocking our accession steps oversteps his right—this is the decision of another state. Just like we don’t interfere in Hungary’s fate.”