VIKTOR ORBÁN HAS asked Micheál Martin not to “ruin the love story” between Ireland and Hungary after the Taoiseach was critical of the Prime Minister “unreasonably exploiting” his EU veto and backsliding on fundamental European rights.

Speaking to Euronews, Martin said the Irish government is “very concerned” about the Hungarian government’s attitude to the LGBTQI community. Orbán’s government has banned Pride marches.

Successive reports have highlighted concerns over the justice system, the freedom of the media and civic society groups, restrictions to civil liberties and cases of corruption in Orbán’s Hungary.

Posting a link to the interview on his X profile this morning, Orbán addressed the remarks by Martin, claiming his country has “always regarded Irish patriots as champions of freedom and national independence”.

He added: “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 on the side of an empire instead of national sovereignty.

Please don’t ruin the love story between Irish and Hungarian patriots.”

The Taoiseach had said that he believes the EU should do more to protect the rights of people in Hungary and communicate “positive narratives” around what EU membership means for citizens.

Martin said: “What we have in Europe is very precious, and we shouldn’t be shy in standing up for it and then protecting it. Okay, we might complain about bureaucracy, we might complain about the complexity of directives, we might complain about all of that.

“But fundamentally – in terms of environmentally, in terms of the economy, in terms of art, culture, academia – it’s a positive to live, work and to play in and for children to grow up in.”

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

‘Unreasonable’ use of vetoes

The Hungarian Prime Minister has repeatedly rejected progressive legislation and has taken action to disrupt Ukraine’s path to EU membership.

Orbán has also rejected funding programmes for Ukraine aimed at helping it in its war against Russia’s invasion. It came after funding for Hungary was withheld by the EU after his party planned to outlaw the mentioning of homosexuality.

European politicians have suggested using Article 7 of the Treaty of the EU, which allows for a member state to be blocked from voting in the EU, to crack down on the vetoes by Orbán.

Martin, on the podcast, said he supported the use of all instruments to prevent the use of the veto, adding: “We think [the veto] is being abused.

“I believe the European Union will not become workable if that abuse continues, there’s only so much member states can take in terms of wilful abuse of the veto.”

Confirming he was speaking about Orbán and Hungary, he said: “It seems that people are exploiting the mechanisms of the veto for quite some time – unreasonably, in my view.”