By Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, March 5, 2026
Barely veiled threats to use the Armed Forces of Ukraine against the head of a European Union Member State by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy — the degree of seriousness of which remains unclear — are a cause for concern and must be disavowed.
Equally concerning is Viktor Orbán’s election campaign promise to “break the Ukrainian oil blockade by force,” although, to his credit, he did not threaten Ukraine with the use of armed force; rather, he referred to political and financial levers.
Disputes between European nations must be resolved exclusively through diplomatic means, without threats of military force.
Even in a comedy sketch, threats of military force would be a sign of poor taste, but at a serious state event — a briefing by the President of Ukraine — they are absolutely unacceptable.
These threats, if serious, are a flagrant violation of Articles 17 and 18 of the Constitution of Ukraine, which require the maintenance of peaceful and mutually beneficial cooperation with members of the international community and prohibit the use of the army for the purpose of overturning the constitutional order.
We understand the frustration caused by the authoritarian and anti-European tendencies of the Orbán regime and its unhonorable flirtations with the Putin regime, which is waging a war of conquest against Ukraine using barbaric methods.
However, Hungary has consistently voted for UN General Assembly resolutions condemning Russian aggression and has provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine; therefore, to some extent, this country has contributed to non-violent resistance against Russian aggression. Even though this contribution can hardly be called sufficient, particularly due to the reluctance to stop purchasing oil from the Putin regime and thus cease financing the war machine.
Nonetheless, while the policies of the Orbán regime raise many questions from a moral perspective, the people and government of Hungary have the right to independently decide matters of their political and economic life without threats of military force or attacks on energy infrastructure.
Military dictatorship is unacceptable both to the people of Ukraine and to the peoples of Europe.
President Zelenskyy has made many useful efforts as a civilian leader who cares about ending the war and ensuring a peaceful future for Ukraine, and to some extent, he tries not to yield to the pressure of militarists who seek an escalation of bloodshed and the arbitrary, brutal imposition of a military dictatorship. Pacifists support President Zelenskyy’s Ukrainian Peace Formula.
However, recently, career military personnel have occupied key positions in the Office of the President of Ukraine. This raises concerns regarding the President’s willingness and ability to perform his functions of democratic civilian control over the security and defense forces, and to ensure strict adherence to human rights, international law, and international humanitarian law during wartime.
Even the issue of the urgently needed provision of alternative non-military service for conscientious objectors is being handled within the President’s Office by career military personnel and exclusively from the standpoint of military expediency. According to preliminary information, there is an intent — contrary to the suggestions of the European Commission — to insist on violating international human rights standards and to continue and intensify political repression for anti-war religion or beliefs; such an intent is unacceptable in a democratic society.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy must reaffirm his commitment to constitutionalism and the peaceful future of Ukraine and learn to say a firm “No!” to the brutality and arbitrariness of the military, especially when he is being drawn into shadow wars against Ukrainians and Europeans who seek peace and reject militarism.
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