In an escalating diplomatic stand-off, Hungary has summoned German ambassador Julia Gross, after Germany and France issued a joint démarche to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over a controversial statement by Viktor Orban's political director and chief advisor Balazs Orban (namesake), Radio Free Europe reported on October 3.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark German Unity Day on Wednesday night, October 2, at the prestigious Vigado building by the Danube, Julia Gross said the Hungarian government had lost its way in the friendship between the two peoples and that the delay in Sweden's accession to Nato was a mere charade.

The joint démarche was submitted to the foreign ministry following "recent surprising statements undermining the principle of solidarity among Allies," Gross wrote in an X post, referring to the controversial interview by Balazs Orban, who suggested that Hungary would not have followed Ukraine's example in resisting a Russian invasion.

"Based on 1956, we probably would not have done what President Zelenskiy did 2.5 years ago, because it is irresponsible, because one can see that he took his country into a war of defence. So many people have died, so much territory was lost," Orban said in a pre-taped video interview published on a pro-government media outlet a week ago.

The comments sparked outrage, and opposition parties called on Orban to sack his advisor. Balazs Orban, who also heads the government-funded cultural institute MCC, has since apologised for his remarks, calling them a misunderstanding, while the government has defended him, albeit acknowledging his misstep.

The PM’s chief political advisor and strategist, responsible among others for cultivating ties with the Republican Party, came under fire, not for questioning Ukraine's right to self-defence but for bringing up 1956 in the same context, which many perceived as undermining the legacy of the revolution.

The anti-Communist uprising is deeply ingrained in the memory of Hungarians and is considered a struggle for freedom against the mighty Soviet Union and the first major conflict in the region during the Cold War. The suggestion that Hungary might avoid such a fight today was seen as questioning the bravery and sacrifice of those who fought in 1956.

The prime minister, who began his career as a staunch liberal and anti-Communist, has toned down his once fierce rhetoric over the 1956 revolution and Russia, which coincided with the self-declared shift to an illiberal democracy.

Hungary has become Russia's strongest ally within the EU, and the two countries' economic and political ties have strengthened since the start of the war, despite calls by the EU to scale down the country's energy dependence on Russia.

Some critics argued that Balazs Orban inadvertently unveiled the government's foreign policy strategic shift seen in the past few years, which seemed to align with Russian interests on many occasions.

Other analysts highlighted that his comments contradicted Hungary's international commitments.

According to Radio Free Europe, the joint German-French démarche notes that if Balazs Orban's comments signal the official Hungarian position, then it is contrary to the spirit of the military alliance and offensive to other members.

The démarche was delivered by a diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but he was not received at the level that protocol would dictate, as the diplomatic verbal notice is typically delivered to the minister or a state secretary.

In a response posted on Facebook, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto sharply criticised the German ambassador's remarks, accusing her of interfering in internal affairs and violating Hungary’s sovereignty.

In her X post, Julia Gross also posted a picture of the statue of Imre Nagy (the Hungarian PM executed after the 1956 revolution), adding that diplomats paid tribute to the martyrs of 1956 who fought and died for independence.

Hungarians will commemorate the anniversary of the 1956 revolution on October 23. Since the change of regime in 1990, the holiday has been heavily overpoliticised. In opposition, Fidesz held anti-government rallies against the leftist cabinets but since in power, the focus shifted to conveying its contemporary political agendas.