Hungary would get Transcarpathia according to Dmitry Medvedev's map

Since the Russian-Ukrainian war began in 2022, we have grown accustomed to seeing Russia’s former head of state and prime minister Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, seeking to outdo everyone with outrageous statements.

The most recent example of this was at a lecture Medvedev gave in southern Russia, where, according to Reuters, he said that Ukraine had always been part of Russia and that these historic territories should return to the motherland once Ukraine capitulates. To great applause, Medvedev stated:

“A former leader of Ukraine has at one point said that Ukraine is not Russia. This concept must disappear forever. Ukraine is most definitely Russia.”

This time, however, the huge map projected behind him garnered more attention than his usual catchy rhetoric. On the map, the entire eastern half of Ukraine, its coastline and, of course, Crimea belong to Russia. North-western Ukraine seems to be annexed to Poland, (which is otherwise treated as an enemy), and Romania seems to have also received some territory around the northern part of Moldova,

while Transcarpathia belongs to Hungary.

According to the map, Ukraine would only consist of the province of Kyiv. Moldova and Russia's ally Belarus would be left untouched, according to the drawing.

Medvedev also noted that there was no question of negotiating peace with the current Ukrainian leadership and that any future Ukrainian government would have to accept the realities of what had been achieved on the battlefield. As for relations between East and West, he said that relations with the Americans were currently worse than they were during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, which had sparked fears of World War III.

The Hungarian government has received much criticism from the West for the way it's been communicating about the war in Ukraine. In stark contrast with this though, at a press conference following his meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba on 29 January, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that Hungary stands by Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

We have asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for their comment on Medvedev's map. We will publish their answer as soon as we receive it.