Abstract. The new geopolitical reality that arose after the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine demanded all European states to express their attitude to what was happening as clearly as possible. Among the countries that have supported Kyiv Hungary traditionally having its own special position on key problems within the European Union stands out. The Budapest reaction to Ukrainian events can be considered in two adjacent planes. Firstly, from the point of view of the Hungarian leadership’s search for an acceptable line of conduct in the face a powerful campaign of support for Kyiv. Secondly, in the context of relations of this leadership with the Kyiv regime itself. The article is devoted to the main complexes of contradictions that set the tone of relations between the Hungarian and Ukrainian sides in the context of powerful military-political upheavals.