Ukraine has declared the Hungarian consul "persona non grata" (unwanted) asking him to leave the state within 72 hours.
The Foreign Ministry of Hungary has accused the diplomat on October 4 of "activities that do not coincide with the status of a consular officer".This decision came after Kiev has accused the Hungarian Consulate of issuing illegally passports to Hungarians in Ukraine. In response to the decision of Ukraine, the Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said at a press conference that his state expels the Ukrainian consul in Budapest. Szijjarto also reiterated the threat of blocking Ukraine's membership into NATO and the European Union. Meanwhile, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has expressed hope that the Hungarian side will "stay away from hostile steps against Ukraine in the future and that its officials will not violate Ukraine's legitimacy."
It is also said that Kiev considers Ukrainian residents of Hungarian descent as a "coupling factor" in the relations between the two states and has called on Hungary "to do the same". It is believed that in the Ukrainian region, Zakarattya, live about 200,000 people of Hungarian ethnicity. This deportation has increased tensions between Ukraine-Hungary relations. Both countries have collided with each other after the release of a video last month featuring some Hungarian-born singers taking Hungarian passports at the consulate in Berehove, Ukraine.