Hungary must recall Berehove consul this week, Klimkin says

The Hungarian government must recall its consul in
Berehove – who was recorded illegally conferring Hungarian citizenship to
Ukrainians – by the end of this week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin
said in an Oct. 1 video statement. Hungarian consulate employees in Berehove
were violating the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations when distributing
citizenship documents to Ukrainian citizens in September, as well as
instructing them not to inform the Ukrainian government. The Ukrainian Foreign
Ministry will deport the consul leading the proceedings if his own foreign
ministry won’t recall him, Klimkin said, adding that Ukraine’s current
diplomatic row with Hungary is benefitting Russia in its campaign of aggression
against Ukraine.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has been
added to the Myrotvorets database of individuals who have made statements or
engaged in actions promoting separatism in Ukraine, threatening its territorial
integrity and encouraging mass violations of Ukrainian law, among other legal
violations. In particular, Szijjarto “threatened the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Ukraine and made direct threats of armed invasion of
Ukraine,” the website reported on Sept. 28.

Zenon Zawada: Certainly, recent actions by the Hungarian government demonstrate
hostility towards the Ukrainian state and assist Russia in its campaign of
aggression. Western experts don’t believe Hungary has coordinated its action
with the Kremlin. However, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban met with Russian President
Putin on Sept. 18 in Budapest. Though it was officially billed as a discussion
on energy issues, we believe it was inevitable that they discussed their common
foreign policy towards Ukraine, and Russian President Putin’s mid- to long-term
plans to bring Ukraine back under his control, or dissolve statehood
altogether.