BUDAPEST, January 27. /TASS/. Hungary’s foreign ministry summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to Budapest to protest against Vladimir Zelensky’s "blatant and shameless" interference in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Hungary, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

"The Ukrainian president and government have begun to openly, blatantly, and shamelessly meddle in the elections in Hungary, seeking to influence their outcome. Obviously, they want the [opposition] party Tisza to win," he said in a video address televised by the M1 channel. "Today, we made it clear to the Ukrainian ambassador that Hungary will not tolerate any interference in its parliamentary elections by anyone. We will not tolerate Ukraine’s interference. We will not tolerate Ukraine’s attempts to influence the outcome of the elections. We will not allow anyone to meddle in the electoral process on the part of Tisza."

"Our deputy minister said it clearly to the ambassador that Hungary will defend its sovereignty and the right of the Hungarian people to decide its future," he stressed and called on the Ukrainians to stop interfering into Hungary’s domestic affairs.

According to Szijjarto, Kiev is seeking to support the Hungarian opposition in hopes that once in power, it will greenlight Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, which "will make it possible for Brussels to drag Hungary into the war" and allow the use of Hungarian taxpayer money to sponsor "the Ukrainian state." The Hungarian government will do its best to prevent this, he pledged. "Decisions [on these matters] must be made in Hungary, not in Brussels or Kiev," he emphasized.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Hungary was summoned to the Hungarian foreign ministry at the instruction of Prime Minister Viktor Orban who said on January 26 that the Kiev regime leaders, including Zelensky "made harsh insults and threats against Hungary and the Hungarian government." According to Orban, "these verbal attacks" are part of "coordinated efforts to interfere in the Hungarian elections."

Hungary will hold parliamentary elections on April 12, after which a new government will be formed. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Alliance party and its smaller arm - Christian Democrats - are going up against the opposition party Tisza led by former government official Peter Magyar, who has the European Union’s backing.

In the previous election in 2022, Fidesz and the Christian Democrats won 135 seats in the 199-seat parliament, which made it possible for Viktor Orban, who has been prime minister since 2010, to retain his position for four more years. He was always previously Hungary's prime minister from 1998-2002. Overall, he is the longest-serving European politician in the post of prime minister. He was nominated as candidate for prime minister again during a Fidesz convention on January 10.

According to opinion polls, Fidesz sees greater support than Tisza and Orban is believed to be better fit for premiership than Magyar. However, political analysts warn that the outcome of the upcoming elections will depend on the parties’ ability to mobilize their supporters to come to the polling stations in April.