The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Péter Szijártó, allegedly received a letter with threats written in Ukrainian. This happened on the eve of his visit to Ukraine — already on January 29, Siyarto will arrive in Uzhhorod to meet with the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and the head of the Presidentʼs Office Andriy Yermak.
The Hungarian publication Index reported the threats against Szijártó, citing its own sources.
According to the publication, the letter was sent to the Embassy of Hungary in Ukraine. They allegedly wrote there:
"Hungarians, we hate your government, which continues to do everything to make us lose the war. Do you think that your minister will simply come to us after the attacks on Ukraine? We donʼt think so. An explosive reception awaits him on January 29. An armored train will not save you. We recommend that you place an order with the funeral home so that they can begin making a coffin for Sijarto to fit his height. God forgives, but Ukrainians donʼt," Hungarian media quoted the letter as saying.
The State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Economy and Foreign Affairs of Hungary Tomasz Menzer said that the threats "will not deter Peter Szijjártó from representing the interests of Hungary" and that this is pressure for the "policy of peace" that the country advocates.
The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Mate Pátzolay, said that the Ukrainian authorities promised the most thorough security measures during the visit of Minister Szijártó to Uzhhorod. The letter, according to his version, was written in order to spoil the meeting of foreign ministers or to try to prevent its holding.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has not yet responded to these statements. However, some Hungarian observers use this situation to promote narratives about the alleged oppression of Hungarians in Transcarpathia.
- In December 2023, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, met with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjártó for the first time during the invasion. Then they discussed the "difficult period from the point of view of bilateral relations" of Hungary and Ukraine.
- On January 11, 2024, it became known that the Foreign Ministers of Hungary and Ukraine will meet in Uzhhorod on January 29. There they will discuss the meeting between the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban.