Hungary rejects Zelensky's claim of drone airspace violation

Budapest, Sep 27 (IANS) Hungary firmly rejected a claim by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Hungarian reconnaissance drones may have violated Ukraine's airspace.

Zelensky wrote earlier on the social media platform X that Ukrainian forces had recorded violations of the country's airspace "by reconnaissance drones, which are likely Hungarian," and that preliminary assessments suggested the flights may have targeted Ukraine's border industrial areas.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto has strongly denied the allegation. Writing on his Facebook page, Szijjarto said Zelensky "is losing himself in anti-Hungarian sentiments" and "is chasing phantoms."

Relations between Budapest and Kyiv have been marked by recurring tensions in recent years. Hungary has repeatedly criticised Ukrainian attacks against the Druzhba oil pipeline, a key route for its energy supplies from Russia, and has raised concerns over the rights of the ethnic Hungarian minority in Ukraine's Transcarpathian region, Xinhua news agency reported.

At the same time, Hungary is strongly opposed to Ukraine's EU accession process, citing the need for guarantees on the protection of its minorities, but also the negative impact Ukraine's accession would have on the EU's agriculture subsidy system.

High-level exchanges have remained strained, with both sides often trading accusations in public statements.

Despite these disputes, Hungary has provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the outbreak of the armed conflict in February 2022, opening its borders to refugees and even setting up a Ukrainian-language school for the refugee children.

--IANS

int/rs