Orbán's anti-Ukraine campaign targets political rival as Hungary's elections loom

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- As Hungary heads toward nationalist elections adjacent outpouring and the populist government's popularity slumps, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has zeroed successful connected a cardinal taxable helium hopes volition sway voters: an alleged menace posed by neighboring Ukraine.

While astir European Union countries person offered political, financial, and subject enactment to Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion successful 2022, Hungary nether Orbán has charted a starkly antithetic course — refusing to proviso Ukraine with weapons oregon let their transit done Hungarian territory, demanding sanctions alleviation and rapprochement with Russia, and adopting a combative stance toward some Kyiv and its EU backers.

With his ruling Fidesz enactment slipping successful the polls and a caller absorption unit gaining momentum, Orbán has escalated a sweeping anti-Ukraine campaign — presenting the upcoming predetermination arsenic a referendum connected bid oregon war. Going further, helium has accused his starring governmental hostile of entering into a treasonous pact with Kyiv to overthrow his authorities and instal a pro-Western, pro-Ukraine administration.

Some of his ideas reflector the increasing anti-Ukraine messaging coming from right-wing populists successful the West, including from President Donald Trump.

“Let’s beryllium nether nary illusions: Brussels and Ukraine are jointly gathering up a puppet authorities (in Hungary),” Orbán said connected June 6 successful comments to authorities radio. “They privation to alteration Hungary’s argumentation toward Ukraine aft the adjacent elections, oregon adjacent sooner.”

At the bosom of Orbán's claims is Ukraine's ambition to articulation the EU, thing Kyiv believes would spot it firmly wrong the clasp of the West and supply a measurement of information against imaginable Russian attacks successful the future.

While Orbán was a steadfast protagonist of Ukraine's eventual EU accession soon aft Russia launched its full-scale invasion, helium present argues that its rank — which volition apt instrumentality galore years — would flood Hungary with crime, inexpensive labor, and low-quality cultivation products, threatening nationalist sovereignty and economical stability.

He has besides spuriously claimed that Brussels and Kyiv mean to unit Hungarians to combat Russia connected the beforehand lines. On Monday, Orbán posted a video to his societal media leafage depicting animated, artificial intelligence-generated scenes of bloodied, machine-gun wielding Hungarian soldiers engaged successful equipped conflict, and rows of caskets lined beneath Hungarian flags.

“We don't privation our children, successful the signifier of the Hungarian army, to beryllium deployed to the Ukrainian beforehand lines oregon to Ukrainian territory and to travel backmost successful coffins,” helium said successful the video.

Central to Orbán’s life-or-death communicative of the Hungarian predetermination is his increasing run against his main governmental rival, Péter Magyar, a erstwhile Fidesz insider whose caller Tisza enactment has surged successful popularity.

Once joined to Hungary’s erstwhile justness minister, Magyar has go the astir formidable challenger to Orbán’s regularisation since the EU's longest-serving person took bureau successful 2010. With Tisza starring Fidesz successful astir autarkic polls, immoderate analysts and home critics judge Orbán whitethorn beryllium laying the groundwork to discredit oregon adjacent disqualify Magyar up of the 2026 election.

Péter Krekó, manager of the Budapest-based Political Capital deliberation tank, said Orbán's effort to nexus Magyar and Tisza to the representation of a unsafe Ukraine is aimed astatine neutralizing his home absorption arsenic popular sentiment appears to beryllium turning against him.

“There is an ongoing run against immoderate captious voices successful Hungary saying that they are agents of Ukraine, and this tin beryllium utilized besides against the Tisza party," helium told The Associated Press. "If you can’t triumph backmost nationalist sentiment anymore, past you tin effort to usage a much authoritarian toolkit.”

Beyond governmental rhetoric, specified accusations person reached the highest levels of diplomacy. In May, Ukraine's main information bureau said that it had arrested 2 radical connected suspicion of spying for Hungary by gathering quality connected Ukraine’s subject defenses successful the westbound of the country. That acceptable disconnected a tit-for-tat bid of diplomatic expulsions, and accusations from Hungary's authorities that the matter was portion of a concerted Ukrainian run involving Magyar and his enactment to undermine Orbán.

The premier curate accused Magyar and Tisza of being “pro-Ukrainian” and supporting Ukraine’s EU bid, and alleging that a salient Tisza member, the erstwhile main of unit of the Hungarian military, has “deep ties with Ukrainian intelligence.” No grounds has been provided to enactment the claims, which Magyar has dismissed outright.

“It is outrageous and blood-boiling erstwhile a patriot who trained and prepared to beryllium a worker since the property of 14 and who took a subject oath ... is accused of treason by radical who would merchantability their state out,” Magyar told a quality league connected June 5.

To reenforce its message, the Hungarian authorities launched a state-funded connection blitz successful March, accompanied by a non-binding “national consultation” connected Ukraine’s EU membership. Billboards, tv ads, and societal media posts person flooded the country, portraying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arsenic the architects of a crippled to undermine, oregon adjacent destruct Hungary.

“They would bring Ukraine into the EU, but we would wage the price!” reads 1 poster. “Let’s ballot no!”

Ukrainian officials person been restrained successful reacting to the Hungarian campaign. But successful an interrogation published past week successful Hungarian outlet Válasz Online, Zelenskyy criticized the government's usage of his look arsenic portion of its media barrage, and accused Orbán of being "anti-Ukrainian and anti-European."

“He is utilizing this successful his home policy: helium wants to crook the warfare successful Ukraine to his ain vantage successful the elections. That is dishonest,” Zelenskyy said.

In a station connected X connected Tuesday, Ukraine’s overseas ministry besides pushed backmost connected Hungary’s accusations.

“The Hungarian government’s connection line, which demonizes Ukraine and President Zelenskyy, has gone disconnected the rails,” the ministry's spokesman, Heorhii Tykhyi, wrote. “We don’t spot Hungary demanding that Russia judge a ceasefire ... They stay soundless erstwhile principled enactment is needed and marque baseless accusations erstwhile diplomacy is required.”