'Sanctions don't work': Why is Hungary at odds with the rest of the EU over Russia?

Read time: 5 mins

In brief…

• Zoltan Kovacs supports calls from Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, to end sanctions on Russia, saying it committed no war crime in invading Ukraine.
• Kovacs accuses Ukraine of using propaganda and disinformation during its fight back against Russia, and says it could not contribute to the EU if it was permitted to join.
• He claims Hungary’s population are anti-immigration because they value Christian culture, not because they are racist.

What’s the story?

Hungary isn’t worried about invasion by Putin.

Unlike other countries which share borders with Ukraine or Russia, which have spoken openly about concerns the leader may launch similar invasions on their territory, Hungary’s leader Viktor Orban has said he is no threat.

Orban is one of Europe’s most right-wing leaders, with views more politically aligned with Putin than most, and recently stated that some sanctions on Russia, imposed since it first invaded Ukraine in 2022, should be lifted.

This, Hungary has said, is to resume trading for oil, as energy prices across Europe and beyond continue to be impacted by the long running sanctions on trading with Russia.

Zoltan Kovacs, Hungary’s secretary of state for public diplomacy and relations, tells The News Agents he does not believe in sanctions as an effective anti-war deterrent.

"Sanctions are not the way you talk to someone," he tells Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel.

"The way is to keep communication channels open and try to be as honest, outspoken, honest and consequential as possible.

"For the past two years, nobody talked to President Putin directly on behalf of the Western European powers – and that's a problem."

Kovacs says that Putin is being treated as a war criminal, and insists that there was nothing illegal in his initial invasion of Ukraine, and this approach to Putin is doing nothing to help the peace process.

"Like it or not, starting a war by invading somebody else's country has been part of history for thousands of years, and probably is going to remain part of it," he adds.

"Starting a war itself is not a war crime.

"Atrocities committed during the conflict is another question."

Hungary accuses Ukraine of using misinformation and propaganda

Since Trump came to power in January 2025, the US has been closely engaged in attempts to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, with the president saying it was likely that Volodymyr Zelenskyy would most likely have to give up some of the territory seized in the conflict.

Kovacs, and Hungary, agrees, saying that while he believes it's important to keep land between Hungary and Russia, the "reality on the ground is slightly different now".

But this may be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the strained relationship between Hungary and Ukraine.

Ukraine recently claimed it had uncovered an espionage plot instigated by Hungary, potentially gathering intel to start its own invasion from the west, while Russia continues its eastern assault.

Part of Western Ukraine once belonged to Hungary, and more than 100,000 Hungarians remain living there today.

Kovacs describes Ukrainian spy claims as a "half truth" being used against its own allies, and says that nobody ever talks about the aid Hungary has given Ukraine over the past few years.

"The attitude of Ukraine towards Hungary from the very beginning of this war is close to hostile. Let's put it that way," he says.

"Don't presume that it's only Russia using misinformation or disinformation when it's about their own political or military goals.

"We are in the midst of a war, coming together with this misinformation and disinformation elements coming from the Ukrainians almost on a daily basis for the past couple of years."

He adds that all suggestions that Hungary may try to reclaim this territory is Ukrainian "propaganda".

Why Hungary wants to block Ukraine from joining the EU

Hungary has also been accused of using disinformation and misinformation – specifically to try to prevent Ukraine becoming part of the EU, its membership being a fierce sticking point in attempted peace talks with Putin, who does not want it to join.

Messaging from Hungarian officials has stated that Brussels is "playing with fire" if it allows Ukraine to join the European Union, describing the country as "merciless", and saying joining the EU would result in the "Ukrainian mafia" entering Hungary "unhindered".

Kovacs is adamant this is not misinformation, but "hard facts".

“We've been living next to each other for decades, and I believe we have a better knowledge about what is happening on the other side of the border, how they treat Hungarians, how they treat others, how the Ukrainian state works," he tells Emily and Jon.

"Enlarging the European Union is a merit-based process for a good reason, Hungary had to wait for more than 10 years."

He claims that admitting Ukraine into the EU after more than two years of war, and "hundreds of billions in debt" would not fulfil this process, and says the country is "not able to work in a normal way".

Hungary sees itself as considered an ‘enemy’ of the EU

But Hungary isn't just locking horns with Ukraine – it's found itself in hot water with the EU itself, with a 2025 report naming the country the most corrupt in Europe.

The European Parliament has accused Hungary of democratic back-sliding in recent years, under Orban's rule, which Kovacs describes as a "witch-hunt" against the country.

Accusations of corruption are, he continues, being "hijacked" by the EU.

"They are being weaponised and used against member states," he says.

"This is completely and clearly against the original sense of the union and how the treaty prescribes what should be happening in the European Union.

He says that EU claims about Hungarian media operating against freedom of speech and freedom of media as being "political weaponry invented by liberal ideology

"The moment you are ideologically against the mainstream, you become an enemy."

Additionally, after opting out of EU Migration Policy in late 2024, Hungary found itself drifting even further from the Union.

Orban has taken a tough stance on immigration – saying illegal migration must be stopped entirely, while the number of people entering the country legally must be controlled.

It has led to allegations of racism, which Kovacs denies.

“Hungarians tell you in what cultural environment they would like to live, whether they would like to have bigger chunks of other populations coming to the country and live, and the Hungarians say no,” he says.

“This is not because they are racist, but because they know the value of the culture we have in Central Europe.

“We've been fighting for this, not for the past couple of years, but for centuries, generations behind us, actually.”

Listen to the latest episode of The News Agents.