Hungary refutes allegations about knowing Russia's plans to invade Ukraine in advance

Hungary on Wednesday refuted reports which suggested that Russia had informed them regarding its plan of launching military aggression in Ukraine. The spokesman for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has dismissed the reports and called them "fake news", Euro News reported. The response of Viktor Orban's spokesperson comes as the local media of Ukraine had reported citing a senior official in Kyiv, who claimed that Hungary knew beforehand about Russia's planned invasion of Ukraine. 

Hungary denies having knowledge about Russia's plan to invade Ukraine 

Zoltan Kovacs, Hungary's Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Relations, has repudiated allegations that accused Budapest of plotting to annex Transcarpathia. Around 140,000 ethnic Hungarians are estimated to be living in Transcarpathia. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Kovacs stated that Ukraine was making these statements as Hungary did not provide them with weapons. Zoltan Kovacs, in the tweet, added, "While we understand that Ukraine does not welcome our decision, spreading fake news and coming up with lies will not change our position." The statement of Kovacs comes after Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, stated that Russia had told the Hungarian authorities about launching an attack on Ukraine in advance, Hromadske reported. Danilov further stated that Hungary has been openly showcasing its cooperation with Russia.

Hungary express willingness to pay in rubles for Russian gas 

It is pertinent to mention here that Hungary has voted in favour of all the embargoes imposed by the European Union against Russia. However, Budapest has expressed willingness to pay for Russian gas in rubles, which is contrary to the stance taken by Hungary against the EU. Ukraine has censured Hungary for the position it has taken on Russian energy. According to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko's statement, Hungary has not accepted Russia's responsibility for the atrocities committed by Russian armed forces in Bucha, RFE/RL reported, Irpen, Hostomel, and other regions. Nikolenko highlighted that the position taken by Hungary enhances Russia's "sense of impunity" and encourages Moscow to carry out commit new atrocities against Ukrainians. It is to mention here that the war between Russia and Ukraine contiues for over 60 days with deaths and destruction witnessed in Ukraine. 

Image: AP