This Is How Ukrainians Attacked Consultative Survey Voks 2025

The concept of democracy held by Ukrainians aspiring to join the European Union is rather curious. While they consider the consultative vote Voks 2025, in which more than two million Hungarians voiced their opinion, to be manipulation, they proudly promote the results of the Tisza Party’s opinion poll, which mobilized half as many people. Ukraine’s ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement attacking the consultative vote Voks 2025.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (Photo: ANP via AFP)

In a lengthy statement, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs attacked Voks 2025. As they wrote, they respect the Hungarians who took part and are "ready to hear their concerns," but they label the intention behind the initiative as "manipulative."

According to Ukraine, asking for people’s opinion is manipulation (Illustration, source: Pixabay)

We firmly believe that Ukraine’s accession to the European Union is in Hungary’s own strategic interest,

the statement reads.

In an article published by the Ukrainian news agency UNN, asking Hungarians for their opinion is described as "propagandistic and manipulative."

This is not the first time Ukrainians have attacked Voks 2025. Several Ukrainian media outlets enthusiastically reported, for instance, that Peter Magyar, leader of the opposition Tisza Party, called the government's consultative survey Voks 2025 a "complete failure."

In an interview, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky threatened to take action against Hungarians, citing that the overwhelming majority of Hungarian citizens support Ukraine’s EU accession, despite the fact that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who initiated the consultative survey, opposes it, Inter fax reported quoting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as saying.

Orban’s opposition conducted a public opinion poll. Seventy percent of Hungarians support Ukraine’s EU accession. In other words, the Hungarian people are on our side,

said Zelensky, referring to the Tisza Party’s non-representative survey.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry thanked Peter Magyar and the Tisza Party for the initiative. They stated that Ukrainians are grateful to every Hungarian who genuinely supports Ukraine, meaning they thanked the Tisza Party for the poll showing support for Ukraine.

This is a serious problem, a serious challenge. Ukraine is unable to even open the relevant negotiation clusters to implement reforms, and Hungary perhaps plays the most important role in this. But we must not give up. We must communicate that this is not only a security risk for Ukraine, but also for the European Union,

said Serhiy Solodky, first deputy director of the Nova Europa Center and expert on foreign policy, international relations, and security, in an interview with French radio station RFI about the survey Voks 2025.

Solodky also urged Brussels to create a mechanism in relation to Ukraine’s EU accession that would bypass Hungary.

No one in Kyiv currently believes that Orban will change his stance. He has gone too far in his smear and anti-Ukrainian campaign. Therefore, I fear Ukraine has no choice but to wait for the Hungarian elections,

said Solodky, referring to Ukrainians’ hopes that Peter Magyar will come to power in next year’s elections.

While the survey Voks 2025 is considered manipulation and is under attack, the Tisza Party’s non-representative poll, in which barely half as many people participated, is being enthusiastically touted by Ukrainians, citing that 58.18 percent of respondents support Ukraine’s EU accession.

Cover photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (Photo: ANP via AFP)