The tension escalates between Ukraine and Hungary: Former Ukrainian diplomat, detained in Budapest and expelled
In an episode that reflects the accelerated deterioration of the relations between Kiev and Budapest, the Hungarian authorities detained, on the evening of May 9, in the center of the capital, a former Ukrainian diplomat, accused of spy activities. The man, whose name was not made public, was later expelled to Ukraine during the night. The information was confirmed by the Budapest government, which also published video images with the moment of detention.
Hungarian security forces hold a Ukrainian citizen who worked previously as a diplomat/ photo: X
According to an official statement of the Hungarian anti -terrorist center, the individual, currently outside the diplomatic function, would have carried out actions that “significantly affected the sovereignty of Hungary”. The immigration authorities imposed them prohibition on entry and residence in the country.
The television publication states that the man has worked in the past in the Ukraine Embassy in Budapest, in 2010, but for a long time no longer benefited from diplomatic protection. His wife is the co -owner of a Ukrainian restaurant in the Hungarian capital.
Increasing tensions
The incident occurs in a context already tense. Only a day before, on May 8, the Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) had announced the destruction of a Hungarian military services in the Transcarpathian region. The network would have collected sensitive information on anti -aircraft defense, Ukrainian army movements and possible population reaction to a possible “entry of the Hungarian peace” forces in the area.
Budapest officials denied the accusations, which they qualified as “anti-o-Hungarian propaganda”. In reply, Hungary announced the expulsion of two Ukrainian diplomats, which he accused of espionage activities. Kiev responded in the mirror, announcing, on the evening of May 9, that it also expels two Hungarian diplomats, to whom a 48 -hour term was offered to leave the Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry's reaction has not been expected. The spokesman, Gheorghi Tihîi, commented on the detention of the former diplomat on the platform X: “When the evidence is over, the witch hunt begins. The Hungarian authorities should end this meaningless anti-Ukrainian hysteria.”
Consequences on bilateral relationships
The diplomatic crisis also has direct consequences on bilateral relations. On Sunday morning, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine announced that Hungary has unilaterally postponed the bilateral consultations on the rights of national minorities, scheduled for May 12, in Ujgorod. The meeting should have marking the beginning of a systematic dialogue to solve the differences that have been blocking Ukraine's accession to the European Union for years.
The Budapest government continues to condition the lifting of the veto on the opening of the accession negotiations to fulfill a pack of 11 requirements, including the recognition of schools with a single Hungarian class as a minority educational units, the modification of the electoral law to ensure the representation of the Hungarian community in the Supreme Rada, as well as the Ukrainian Community.
After months of tattoos and promises, Kiev hoped that the meeting on May 12 would produce the first concrete results. In contrast, the recent series of mutual expulsions, spy accusations and strength gestures, such as the arrest of the former Ukrainian diplomat, casts a question mark on any short -term diplomatic progress.
In reality, the crisis reflects an increasingly accentuated polarization between the Viktor Orbán government-accused of Brussels and NATO allies of pro-Russian positions-and a Ukraine under the pressure of maintaining Western support, under the conditions of a resumed Russian military offensive and an international scene.
