The European Commission publicly rebuked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday after he threatened Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán with violence. “We are very clear as the European Commission that that type of language is not acceptable,” European Commission Deputy Spokesperson Olof Gill told reporters. “There must not be threats against EU member states.”
The incident stems from Hungary’s blockade of a proposed €90 billion EU emergency loan to Kyiv, which Orbán has tied to Ukraine’s failure to reopen the flow of Russian oil to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline. On March 5, Zelensky, frustrated that Orban was holding up the much-needed funds, said he would “give the address” of Orbán to Ukrainian soldiers, who would then “call him and communicate with him in their own language.”
Given what happened to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and gravely wounded in 2024, the remark was widely read as a death threat.
Fico responded directly: “If the Ukrainian president continues like this, it may happen that other EU member states will also block the 90-billion loan for Ukraine.” [jar)
