Viktor Orbán hits out at Micheál Martin after criticism of Hungary

Hungarian prime minister posted on X after Taoiseach accused him of exploiting European Council veto, and challenged Hungary on free speech and LGBT+ rights

Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orbán claimed that Ireland was standing 'on the side of an empire instead of national sovereignty'. Picture: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has hit out at the Taoiseach after Micheál Martin accused Hungary of exploiting the European Council veto.

Mr Martin said the veto mechanism is being abused by Hungary and called on the EU to take action before it renders the union dysfunctional.

Responding to the Taoiseach's comments on X, Mr Orbán said it is "always shocking when we see that an Irish patriot chooses to stand on the side of an empire instead of national sovereignty".

In his post, Mr Orbán spoke of a "love story" between Irish and Hungarian patriots and asked Mr Martin not to "ruin" it.

"We Hungarians have always regarded Irish patriots as champions of freedom and national independence. For us, Ireland is a symbol of liberty and sovereignty," he wrote.

Dear Taoiseach @MichealMartinTD,
We Hungarians have always regarded Irish patriots as champions of freedom and national independence. For us, Ireland is a symbol of liberty and sovereignty. For this reason, it is always shocking when we see that an Irish patriot chooses to stand…

— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) May 12, 2025

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach acknowledged Mr Orbán's comments but did not respond to them, saying that Mr Martin had been very clear in his statements.

Mr Martin criticised Hungary extensively in an interview with Euronews warning that the European Union will become unworkable if Hungary's abuse is permitted to continue.  Mr Martin said: 

I think there is only so much member states can take in terms of wilful abuse of the veto. We have seen it play out in Ukraine. 

Mr Orbán's government has threatened to block EU financial assistance to Ukraine, argued against sanctions on Russia and opposed Ukraine’s eventual membership in the EU.

"It is outrageous what is going on at the moment. In my view, it is essential that Ukraine becomes a member of the European Union for geopolitical reasons," Mr Martin said.

He continued: "But it seems that people are exploiting the mechanisms of the veto — unreasonably, in my view.

"Europe has made a lot of attempts to try and unblock these issues through mediation and engagement."

There are a number of instruments that the EU can use to deal with Hungary's actions including the Article 7 procedure "and we shouldn't be afraid to use them", he said.

Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union provides for action against any member state which is deemed to be at “risk of a serious breach” of the rule of law.

The Fianna Fáil leader also raised concerns about what he labelled Hungary's anti-European rhetoric which Mr Martin said is inflaming public opinion in a negative way.

He said that what exists in Europe is very precious and we should not be shy in standing up for and protecting it.

"In the European Union, we have all of that freedom of speech, we have regulated markets, we have good standards in food and across the board, we have stability.

"Who wouldn't want to live in an environment like that and all around us it is falling down a bit."

Mr Martin's ranging criticism of Hungary also included a condemnation of its ban on the Pride march.

"We are very concerned about that in Hungary in terms of the undermining of the LGBTI community, the banning of pride parades. These are very fundamental issues that the European Union has to engage with," he said.