Peace and security in Hungary cannot be guaranteed without peace and security in Ukraine, Spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko said in response to a statement by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó that Hungary would not support EU sanctions against Russia in the energy sector, opposes the no-fly zone over Ukraine and the peacekeeping mission.

"Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó notes the need to avoid the spread of the war over the territory of Ukraine and the direct conflict between NATO and Russia. In his opinion, in order not to provoke Russia, Hungary should not support the closure of the Ukrainian skies and the deployment of a peacekeeping operation, as well as allow transit through the Hungarian territory of military assistance for the Ukrainian army," Nikolenko told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

He said that "not to provoke Russia" is a common argument when it is necessary to give Russia more space for aggression.

"Surely, we do not wish anyone the grief that the Ukrainians faced because of the Russian war. At the same time, it is a mistake to believe that Hungary, like any other European country, exists in a vacuum. Our state is now actually protecting the eastern border NATO. If Russia manages to achieve its criminal goals in Ukraine, our neighbors will become the next target. Russian ambassadors abroad are now openly talking about this," the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

According to him, evidence appeared on Monday that the FSB of Russia is trying to undermine the situation in Transcarpathia, using the Hungarian factor.

"Hungary has always positioned itself as a defender of the rights of Hungarians abroad. We call on Hungary to openly condemn this Russian provocation and use its well-developed channels of communication with Moscow to prevent any provocations with the aim of inciting interethnic hatred in Ukraine. It's time to be honest with ourselves. It is useless to hope that that attempts to appease the aggressor will be successful. This is proven by history, including Hungary itself," Nikolenko said.

The spokesperson of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that, therefore, partners should make sure that Ukraine survives and defeats the Russian evil.

"In order to do this, we need to strengthen European unity. A unity that will allow more severe sanctions against Russia to stop its war machine," Nikolenko said.