Hungary Summons Russian Ambassador Over Drone Strikes on Zakarpattia Oblast

EUROPE — Hungary summoned Russia’s ambassador on May 14 after Russian drone strikes reached Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine’s westernmost region sharing a direct border with Hungary, on May 13.

Following a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said Foreign Minister Anita Orbán would meet the Russian envoy at 11:30 a.m. local time to convey Hungary’s condemnation of the strikes.

Zakarpattia Oblast borders Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania and is home to a significant ethnic Hungarian minority. The oblast had seen limited direct Russian drone strikes before the May 13 strikes, situated far from the main eastern front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Hungarian Government Response and Diplomatic Action

The new Tisza government held its first cabinet meeting on May 13. Prime Minister Péter Magyar issued a public condemnation of the Russian strikes and directed the Foreign Minister to meet the Russian ambassador in Budapest on the morning of May 14.

Magyar stated that “The Hungarian government strongly condemns the Russian attack on Zakarpattia Oblast,” and said the ambassador was summoned so that the Foreign Minister could “condemn the attack and ask when Russia plans to end the war.”

Foreign Minister Anita Orbán briefed that Hungary “deeply condemns” the Russian drone strikes on ethnic Hungarian regions in western Ukraine.

Orbán assessed the government was in continuous contact with its consul general in the area and said the government was aware of five recorded strikes on infrastructure in Svaliava and Uzhhorod.

The meeting between Orbán and the Russian ambassador was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. local time on May 14.

Official Statements

• Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, May 13: “The Hungarian government strongly condemns the Russian attack on Zakarpattia Oblast.” Magyar stated that Foreign Minister Anita Orbán would meet the Russian ambassador on the morning of May 14.

• Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, May 13 (on summons purpose): The ambassador was summoned so that the Foreign Minister could “condemn the attack and ask when Russia plans to end the war.”

• Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán, May 13: Hungary “deeply condemns” the Russian drone strikes on ethnic Hungarian regions in western Ukraine. Orbán stated the government was in continuous contact with its consul general in the area and said it was aware of five recorded strikes, including a transformer and railway station in Svaliava and an industrial facility in Uzhhorod.