"The devil must be stopped": Ukrainian intellectuals (including famous Ukrainian Jews Josef Zissels and Vitaly Portnikov) wrote an open letter to the Hungarian people disagreeing with the anti-Ukrainian rhetoric of the Viktor Orban government

Among the signatories of the letter are prominent Ukrainian figures of different ethnicities and faiths. This letter (published on June 27, 2025) is a response from Ukrainian intellectuals and public figures to an open appeal by Hungarian intellectuals to Ukraine and Ukrainians, signed on June 21. Among the signatories are Iosif Zisels and Vitaly Portnikov... Iosif Zisels is a Ukrainian Jewish human rights activist, dissident, former prisoner of conscience, co-chair of the Vaad of Ukraine (Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities), and one of the most influential representatives of Ukraine's Jewish community. He actively advocates for democracy, human rights, and a close alliance between Ukraine, Europe, and Israel. Vitaly Portnikov is a Ukrainian publicist, political commentator, and TV host of Jewish origin. He is known for his pro-Ukrainian and pro-European stance, authoring in-depth analytical texts and speeches in defense of Ukraine, Israel, and democratic values. In their letter, the Hungarian public figures expressed disagreement with the anti-Ukrainian rhetoric of Viktor Orbán's government, condemned Russian aggression, and called for an immediate, just, and lasting peace, security guarantees for Ukraine, compensation for damages, and the prosecution of those responsible for war crimes. They also expressed hope that the Hungarian national minority in Ukraine will not become a victim of the shameful and politically motivated rhetoric of the Hungarian government. The letter by Hungarian intellectuals has already been signed by over 30,000 people, although Prime Minister Orbán criticized it. The Ukrainian response letter to the Hungarian people was initiated by the Institute for Central European Strategy (ICES). Orbán called Ukraine "an undefined entity" and bragged about halting its EU accession Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, on June 27, 2025, called Ukraine "an undefined entity" and claimed that Budapest had supposedly halted its accession to the European Union. He made this statement during a broadcast on state radio. According to the Hungarian politician, the results of a "referendum" organized by his government on Ukraine's EU membership made it possible to stop Ukraine's accession to the bloc. At the same time, he brazenly emphasized that Budapest "understands Ukrainians," "sees their heroic struggle," and even recognizes the need for help. "We want to help in a way that doesn't destroy ourselves. Ukraine's EU membership would mean destroying ourselves. We would be instantly drawn into a war with Russia and bring it onto EU territory, and thus into Hungary," the Prime Minister said. In Orbán's opinion, Ukraine is an "undefined entity" through no fault of its own. He cynically stated that he "does not know what Ukraine is today or what the length of its borders is." "This danger existed earlier in other former Soviet countries. That is why those countries were initially admitted to NATO because NATO could guarantee those borders. Then the European Union admitted other countries," the politician said. Orbán suggested that other EU member states would eventually change their stance on Ukraine's membership. "The Germans will switch sides, then the Austrians, then the Czechs, and finally the French will come, who, by the way, are generally the easiest to say 'no' to enlargement. So nothing will come of it," added the head of the Hungarian government. Open letter The full text of the Ukrainian intellectuals' address to Hungarian society was published on Espreso (original in Ukrainian, translated by NAnews): "Dear Hungarian people, all of you who initiated and signed this brave open letter in support of Ukraine! We are touched and inspired to receive it from Hungary and the Hungarians. Especially at this moment. We thank you for these words of support. They are priceless and historic. To say them publicly, perhaps at the most difficult time in modern Ukrainian-Hungarian relations, means being on the right side of history and standing for the truth. We know and never doubted that there is such a Hungary that does not seek profit through betrayal and serving foreign interests, as you wrote in your letter. That there is such a Hungary that is in solidarity with Ukraine, supports us, and honors the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in our struggle against Russian imperialism. We know that this is the real Hungary. The Hungary of Sándor Petőfi and Imre Nagy. The historic struggle against empires and lies, for freedom, independence, and sovereignty — this is what unites our peoples and nations, all of Central Europe. It has united us for centuries — from 1956 to 2014 and 2022. It continues to unite us. We even share a common slogan: "Glory to the Heroes". We are confident that this unity cannot be destroyed by politics, disinformation, or Russian propaganda, no matter how powerful they may be. We are stronger with you. We understand how much we still need to learn to explain to each other who we are. We deeply regret that in Hungary and among Hungarians there is a prevailing opinion that Ukraine has ever aimed or is still aiming to restrict the rights of the Hungarian national minority. That is not true. In Ukraine, we have never sought to limit the rights of ethnic Hungarians; we only wanted to create better conditions for learning the state language to facilitate the self-realization of Hungarians in Ukraine. We feel responsible for this misunderstanding and aim to correct it. Both Hungarian and Ukrainian history is a constant struggle for our identity, our language, culture, and rights. Therefore, we Ukrainians cannot ideologically strive for what we ourselves have suffered from for centuries. Our resistance to Putin's imperialism now is precisely such a struggle. Especially since Russia cynically used the issue of identity and the rights of Russian speakers in Ukraine as a cover for its genocidal aggression. To protect Russian speakers by killing them, as Russia has been doing for over 11 years in Ukraine — this is truly a diabolical plan. The devil must be stopped. And we can do it only together. ... Ukraine has never sought this war. Nor does it wish it upon anyone else. We aim to stop Russia in Ukraine, at our borders. Even though the Putin regime openly states it will not stop at Ukraine. Just as in 1956. Ukraine strives for peace, security, and prosperity — for itself and for Europe, which is our true historical home, unlike the Russian empire. That is why we aspire to join the EU and NATO. Just as Hungary once did. We, the Ukrainian nation, long divided over the centuries, understand how important it is for you — the Hungarian nation, also divided by history — to be united again in Europe. This is yet another philosophical aspiration that unites us. Political doctrines that attempt to justify why Ukraine should not join the EU and NATO are not only anti-Ukrainian — they are anti-Hungarian and anti-European. And we are confident that the wise Hungarian nation understands this today. We see it. We feel it. And we are deeply grateful to receive such a powerful message of solidarity and support from the Hungarian people today. Thank you sincerely. Hajrá Magyarország! Slava Ukraini! Signatories (in alphabetical order): - Alim Aliev — founder of the literary project "Crimean Fig" - Stanislav Aseev — journalist, former prisoner of the "Isolation" torture chamber in Donetsk, soldier of the Ukrainian Armed Forces - Oleksandr Alfyorov — historian, reserve major - Yurii Andrukhovych — writer - Maksym Butkevych — Principle of Hope Foundation, officer of the Armed Forces, former prisoner of war - Sergiy Herasymchuk — deputy executive director of the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council - Yaroslav Hrytsak — historian - Volodymyr Yermolenko — philosopher, president of Ukrainian PEN - Yosyp Zisels — co-chairman of the Vaad of Ukraine, vice-president of the Congress of National Communities of Ukraine - Pavlo Kazarin — journalist, soldier of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Shevchenko Prize laureate - Yevhen Klopotenko — chef, restaurateur - Andrii Kurkov — writer, president of Ukrainian PEN (2018–2022) - Andrii Liubka — writer, volunteer, director of the Institute for Central European Strategy - Hennadii Maksak — executive director of the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council - Myroslav Marynovych — publicist, former political prisoner (1977–1987) - Oleksandra Matviychuk — human rights activist, head of the Center for Civil Liberties (Nobel Peace Prize 2022) - Yurii Nazariuk — co-founder of FEST Emotion Holding, entrepreneur - Yurii Panchenko — editor of the online outlet "European Pravda" - Vitalii Portnikov — political analyst, journalist, TV presenter, Shevchenko Prize laureate - Sergiy Prytula — volunteer, founder of the Sergiy Prytula Charity Foundation - Oleh Sentsov — filmmaker and soldier, former Kremlin political prisoner - Sergiy Sydorenko — editor of the online outlet "European Pravda" - Oleksandr Sushko — executive director of the International Renaissance Foundation in Ukraine The letter remains open for signing. To add your name, write to office@ices.org.ua The letter from Ukrainian intellectuals to the Hungarians — a response to Orban, a show of solidarity with Europe, and a strike against Putin's rhetoric While Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban calls Ukraine an “undefined formation” and boasts about halting its EU accession, over 30,000 Hungarians have signed a letter of support for the Ukrainian people. Ukrainian intellectuals — Jews, Hungarians, Russians, Crimean Tatars, and Ukrainians — publicly thanked the Hungarian people for their courage and emphasized: “You are on the right side of history.” This dialogue of nations, according to the editorial board of NAnews – Israel News, is crucial against the backdrop of the Kremlin’s aggressive policies and its cynical use of the "protection of Russian-speakers" to justify genocide. The letter underscores that Ukraine has never restricted the rights of the Hungarian minority. On the contrary — it protects the right to identity for all, including Hungarians, from Putin’s “devilish plan.” Solidarity of democracies against empires is what unites Ukraine with Hungary and other democratic nations, including Israel. https://nikk.agency/en/the-devil/