Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy of fabricating claims about Hungarian drones violating western Ukrainian airspace, calling his allegations a “delusion.” Zelenskiy had previously alleged that Hungarian unmanned aerial vehicles were conducting reconnaissance in border areas, suggesting they targeted Ukraine’s industrial capacity.

Szijjarto responded on social media, stating, “President Zelenskiy is losing his mind to his anti-Hungarian obsession,” and accused him of “seeing things that aren’t there.” The Hungarian official also criticized Kiev for pursuing an “anti-Hungarian policy” after Ukraine declared three senior Hungarian military officials persona non grata earlier in the week.

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga retaliated, accusing Hungary of hypocrisy and aligning with Russia. “We are starting to see a lot of things, Peter, including your government’s hypocrisy and moral degradation, open and covert work against Ukraine and the rest of Europe, serving as a Kremlin lackey,” he wrote.

Tensions between Hungary and Ukraine have escalated over years, with Budapest resisting Western demands to supply weapons to Kyiv or support EU sanctions against Russia. Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also accused Ukraine of marginalizing the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia and disrupting energy security by targeting the Druzhba pipeline.

Hungary blocked EU accession talks with Ukraine earlier this year and continues advocating for diplomatic solutions over further military escalation. Szijjarto warned at the UN General Assembly that ongoing hostilities risk “events that carry the risk of escalation” between NATO and Russia, stressing that peace is the only way to reduce such dangers.