Original article (in Bosnian) was published on 9/3/2026; Author: Elma Murić
What are the claims?
Viktor Orbán declared war on Ukraine.
What are the facts?
The Hungarian prime minister was speaking about forcing Ukraine to reopen the Druzhba oil pipeline. The claim that he declared war is false.
On March 5, 2026, a Facebook post was shared claiming that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was “declaring war on Ukraine.” The post included a short video of Orbán’s speech with English subtitles. In the video, Orbán says:
“…And we will win by force. We have political and financial means, and we will use them to force them, unconditionally and as soon as possible, to reopen the Druzhba pipeline. I want it to be clear that we will win here and that we will win by force. I will not make a deal, there will be no compromise, we will defeat them. We will break the oil blockade. We will force the Ukrainians to resume deliveries. Not through business, not through an agreement, but by force.”
The claim that “Orbán is declaring war on Ukraine” was also shared by other users on the same social network.
A Fabricated Declaration of War
The video that was shared in our region as “Orbán’s declaration of war on Ukraine” originates from the platform X. It was posted on March 5, 2026, on the account of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The description of the post states that there will be “no agreement or compromise” and that the “Ukrainian oil blockade will be broken by force.”
In a speech at an event organized by the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Orbán issued a series of threats directed at Ukraine, which were reported the same day by international news agencies. On March 5, Reuters reported that Orbán said Hungary would use “political and financial tools” to force Ukraine to reopen the key Druzhba oil pipeline (also known as the “Friendship” pipeline), which transports Russian oil to Hungarian and Slovak refineries. The pipeline had not been operational since January 2026. According to Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, it was severely damaged on January 27 following a Russian attack in western Ukraine. Authorities in Hungary and Slovakia believe the pipeline has been blocked for political reasons.
While noting that Orbán did say Hungary would “win, and win by force,” Reuters also reported the following statement:
“I would like to make it clear that we will win, and we will win by force,” Orbán said at a business conference.
“We do not have military force for this, I can assure everyone that this is not part of our plans. But we do have political and financial tools,” he added, without providing further details.
Orbán’s remarks were also reported by media outlets and agencies in Serbia, citing an article by the Hungarian outlet Index.hu, which likewise stated that Orbán emphasized Hungary has “political, not military means” to force Ukraine to unblock the pipeline. According to these sources, Orbán also stressed that “Hungary must avoid being drawn into war over the next four years.”
In a longer version of the same speech available online, Orbán explicitly states that military action against Ukraine is not part of the plan to force Ukraine to restart the Druzhba pipeline. However, this statement is not included in the shorter clip that Orbán shared on X.
The threatening tone of Orbán’s statements in the shared clip is reinforced by dramatic music and visuals of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which appear as Orbán delivers the remarks. Although it is clearly an edited video designed to project the image of a decisive, uncompromising leader willing to use force, Orbán does not speak about war in his X post, does not declare war on Ukraine, and does not mention any such plans.
Based on the facts above, the original claim that Viktor Orbán declared war on Ukraine is rated as fake news. Subsequent posts making the same claim are rated as spreading fake news.
