We overthrew communism, and now Zelenskyy and Brussels think we’ll back down, — Orbán

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán compared his current "resistance to pressure from Ukraine and Brussels" to the overthrow of the communist regime in Hungary.

He wrote about this on the social media platform X, according to Censor.NET.

What is known

Indeed, Orbán posted a video along with a message in which he emphasized that Budapest "will not yield to pressure from Ukraine and Brussels."

"We overthrew communism. We fought for our freedom. We built a Christian, family-oriented, and patriotic state. And now Zelenskyy and the folks in Brussels think we’ll back down? Don’t make me laugh," Orban said.

What led up to

As a reminder, The Washington Post reported that Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó regularly called his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, during breaks in EU meetings.

Earlier, The Washington Post, citing European intelligence reports, reported that Russian intelligence agencies had considered a scenario involving a staged assassination attempt on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in order to influence the Hungarian elections.
The day before, Péter Magyar, leader of the Hungarian opposition party "Tisza," accused Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of inviting representatives of Russian military intelligence into the country to influence the outcome of the upcoming parliamentary elections.
It was previously reported that the Kremlin is planning to interfere in Hungary's parliamentary elections, scheduled for April 2026. The goal is to help Prime Minister Viktor Orbán retain power.

The Freeze on Loans to Ukraine and the "Druzhba" Issue

As a reminder, relations between Ukraine and Hungary have become strained in recent days.

Earlier, the Hungarian prime minister blocked a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of deliberately blocking oil transit from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline, which had been damaged by Russian attacks.
The day before, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a veiled reference to Orbán, stated that if the EU’s €90 billion loan to assist Ukraine continues to be blocked, "that person’s address" will be provided to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Hungarian government characterized the Ukrainian president's statement as an "open threat".
This caused a major scandal in Hungary, prompting a reaction even from the opposition. Péter Magyar, leader of the Hungarian opposition party Tisza, called on Zelenskyy to apologize for his remarks, which he described as "threats" against Orbán.
Orbán stated that Hungary would break through the "blockade" of the "Druzhba" oil pipeline "by force".
Subsequently, seven employees of Oschadbank were detained in Hungary on suspicion of money laundering. Among those detained is reportedly a retired general of the Ukrainian security services.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised citizens to refrain from traveling to Hungary.
A team from the NBU is rushing to Budapest following the detention of cash collectors.
The National Police of Ukraine has opened an investigation.
The Hungarian government has announced that seven Ukrainian cash collectors will be deported.
On the evening of March 6, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced the release of seven Ukrainian cash transporters who had been detained in Hungary.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that on the morning of March 11, a group of Hungarian citizens entered Ukrainian territory without official status or scheduled official meetings.
President Zelenskyy stated that he is unaware of what the Hungarian delegation is doing in Ukraine.
Subsequently, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused Zelenskyy of lying and published a Hungarian diplomatic note indicating that Budapest had requested a meeting between Cepec and Ukrainian Minister Denys Shmyhal.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry's note indicates that the Hungarian side did not coordinate its delegation's visit to the Druzhba oil pipeline with Ukraine and received proposals from Kyiv regarding alternative dates for the visit.