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Ukraine Lifts Travel Warning for Hungary After Election Campaign Ends
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lifted its recommendation advising citizens to avoid travel to Hungary following the conclusion of the country’s parliamentary election campaign, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced the decision on Facebook on April 13.
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“In connection with the completion of the election campaign in Hungary yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is canceling its previous recommendation for citizens to refrain from traveling to Hungary,” he said.
He added the election campaign, which he described as being filled with manipulations regarding Ukraine, had now ended, and that the heightened risks of provocations that had prompted the restrictions had therefore diminished.
Sybiha added that Kyiv expects the election outcome to contribute to improving bilateral relations and signaled Ukraine’s readiness to work toward that goal.
“The choice of the Hungarian people has shown the desire of our neighbors to live in peace, security, and prosperity—to live in a truly independent Hungary that is part of a united and free Europe, rather than a zone of Moscow’s influence... The choice of Hungarians has also marked the defeat of the policy of blackmail and anti-Ukrainian propaganda,” he said.
On April 8, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has advised its citizens against traveling to Hungary and urged them not to take part as election observers, pointing to risks of possible provocations and unpredictable actions by the authorities ahead of the parliamentary elections.
“We have previously called on Ukrainians to avoid traveling to Hungary. This recommendation remains in force simply because we do not know what is on the minds of the Hungarian authorities,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said.
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Tykhyi cited a recent incident involving Ukrainian cash-in-transit personnel as an example of the potential risks, warning that similar situations could arise again under what he described as fabricated pretexts.
He stressed that the ministry, acting responsibly, had issued clear guidance for citizens to avoid visiting Hungary due to the uncertain environment.
The Foreign Ministry also formally recommended refraining from sending observers to Hungary’s parliamentary elections.
“Simply understanding that, unfortunately, official Budapest has made Ukraine a topic of the election campaign, manipulation, and constant provocations, we officially call on [people] not to go and not to send observers,” Tykhyi said.
On April 13, Ukraine has also started efforts to engage Hungary on potential high-level political contacts after the recent parliamentary elections that brought opposition leader Péter Magyar to power.
According to Interfax on April 13, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv had conveyed to Budapest its willingness to establish communication between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Magyar, the head of the Tisza party.
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
