Diplomat and former Ukrainian ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chalyi said this on Espreso TV."I still have not received a response to the reports from Hungarian experts I respect, that in the days before the full-scale invasion, Hungary moved its offensive forces closer to Ukraine’s border," he said.Chalyi added that tank units were pulled up to the border."The explanation that this was done to ensure free passage for refugees does not hold water. There is very strong evidence that they approached not for defense, but positioned themselves at the border, evacuated villages, and deployed tank and motorized infantry units. This will require analysis after the war," the diplomat said.On February 22, 2022, amid Putin’s recognition of the “statehood” of the occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Budapest moved troops to Ukraine’s border to prevent armed groups from entering Hungary.In January 2025, SBU reserve major general Viktor Yahun suggested that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán might have signed a memorandum with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the possible occupation of part of Ukraine.For the first time in Ukraine’s history, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) uncovered a Hungarian military intelligence network that was spying against Ukraine.