Hungarians living in Transcarpathia breaking away from Ukraine? Fake news!

“Totally unfounded lies and disinformation” have been published on the ethnic community of Transcarpathia, in southwest Ukraine, Zoltán Kovács, the state secretary for international communication and relations, said on social media.

Citing Ukrainian sources, some Russian-language news outlets have reported that Transcarpathia’s ethnic minorities are going to hold a referendum on breaking away from Ukraine, and that ethnic Hungarians in the region had asked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to protect them from genocide, Kovács said.

These lies have been refuted by the competent Ukrainian authorities themselves, he added. War in Ukraine is the worst-case scenario, he said, adding that restoring peace as soon as possible lies in the interest of Hungary and all inhabitants of the region. The government is keeping tabs on the latest developments and will

not allow Hungary to be drawn into the war,

Kovács said.

Read also: It’s official: Hungary lets in everybody coming from Ukraine!

The left wing’s proposal for Hungary to get involved in the military conflict should be rejected, Gergely Gulyás, the prime minister’s chief of staff, said in Vasarosnameny, in north-eastern Hungary, on Friday. Hungary should not take part in this war and should not send soldiers to Ukraine, he said. In turn, it should make every possible effort for peace to be restored, Gulyás said, adding that Hungary must stay out of the conflict.

Hungary should step up efforts to protect its borders and provide organised help to refugees,

he said.

Gulyás expressed hope that the danger of war would soon be averted. He said NATO member states had adopted a uniform position and would guarantee their defence together. Gulyás noted that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had held talks with the EU heads of state and government in Brussels on Thursday evening and made it clear that Hungary would support all proposals that are acceptable to the member states.

Gulyás noted that Hungary condemned the military operation launched by Russia.