Péter Magyar: No one – neither Ukraine nor Russia – can blackmail sovereign Hungary

Péter Magyar, the leader of the Tisza Party, said on Thursday that neither Volodymyr Zelensky nor Vladimir Putin can blackmail Hungary, a sovereign member of the European Union and NATO.

In a statement sent to the Hungarian news agency MTI, the opposition politician said that Zelensky had “threatened” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán earlier in the day, while Putin had threatened Hungary as a whole by raising the possibility of halting gas supplies.

“No foreign state leader may threaten a single Hungarian citizen,” Magyar wrote.

Calls for apology from Ukraine

Magyar said that, speaking “on behalf of Hungary’s future government”, he strongly rejects what he described as attempts at blackmail and threats from both Zelensky and Putin.

He stressed that neither the outgoing Fidesz government nor a future Tisza government – nor any Hungarian citizen – should be subjected to threats.

According to the opposition leader, Hungary is a free country whose citizens and government will not bow to intimidation from other states. He added that Hungary’s energy supply is a national issue that must stand above party politics and election campaigns.

Magyar also called on the leadership of the European Union to suspend all relations with Ukraine until President Zelensky clarifies his remarks and apologises to Hungary.