Viktor Orbán questions Ukraine's sovereignty amid spat over Hungarian drone incursion

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán played down the possibility of Hungarian drones violating Ukraine's airspace in an interview released on Monday. Even if a drone enters Ukraine from Hungary, Orbán said, Kyiv should deal with drones coming from the east, from Russia.

On Friday, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that a reconnaissance drone from Hungary violated the airspace of Ukraine, flying over industrial installations in the Transcarpathian region.

Earlier, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó rejected the Ukrainian claims, but Orbán didn't deny the incident.

"I believe my ministers, but let's say it did actually fly a few metres there, so what? Ukraine is not an independent country. Ukraine is not a sovereign country," Orbán said.

In the interview, the Prime Minister argued that Ukraine was not in danger from its Western NATO neighbours and should concentrate on Russian drones on its eastern frontline.

"Ukraine is not at war with Hungary; it is at war with Russia. It should be concerned with the drones on its eastern border, as there are NATO member states here. Ukraine's hinterland is safe. Nobody will attack it from there. I don't think the Poles, Slovaks, Hungarians or Bulgarians would want to attack them. This is a hoax. It has no significance," Orbán said.

Tensions are high between Hungary and Ukraine

Earlier, the Hungarian and Ukrainian foreign ministers exchanged words over the issue. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó denied that the drone in question was from Hungary and accused Ukraine's leader of fostering anti-Hungarian sentiment.

"Volodymyr Zelenskyy is becoming crazily anti-Hungarian, now he sees horrors," Szijjártó said.

His Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha replied with a map showing the route of drone, calling Hungarian officials blind.

"For the blind Hungarian officials. [This is the] Exact route of yesterday’s drone incursion from Hungary into Ukrainian airspace. Our Armed Forces have gathered all of the necessary evidence, and we are still waiting for Hungary to explain what this object did in our airspace," Sybiha wrote.

Relations between Hungary and Ukraine are at a historic low, following a series of incidents. Ukraine bombed the Druzhba pipeline on Russian territory, effectively stopping oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia for days.

Hungary is also the main opponent of Ukraine's EU accession ambitions, threatening a veto on opening negotiating chapters. Prime Minister Orbán said earlier that Ukraine's joining the EU would be an economic disaster for Hungary and the EU alike.