Hungarian Prime Minister: EU is the threat, not Russia

“Spreading fear about Mr. Putin is a short-sighted and unserious act. Meanwhile, Brussels is the current reality and the source of the imminent threat,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told supporters on February 14.

The statement was made by Mr. Orban in the context that there are only about 8 weeks left for Hungary to hold elections, in which the Hungarian leader and his Fidesz party are facing a major challenge unprecedented since returning to power in 2010. Most independent polls show that the Fidesz party is lagging behind the center-right party Tisza.

Mr. Orban rejected the assessment of many European leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a threat to the continent’s security. “We have to get used to the idea that freedom-loving people should not fear the East, but the European Union (EU),” the Hungarian Prime Minister said.

The EU has not commented on this statement.

Prime Minister Orban resolutely opposes military and financial aid to Kiev after the conflict in Ukraine broke out in early 2022. He also maintains close relations with Russia and takes a confrontational stance against countries in the EU and NATO, countries that Hungarian leaders consider belligerent. Budapest is a member of both blocs.

Prime Minister Orban’s government has long been at odds with the EU. The coalition has frozen billions of dollars in funding to Hungary due to concerns that Mr. Orban has dismantled democratic institutions, weakened the independence of the judicial system and allowed widespread corruption in the state apparatus.

In response, the Hungarian Prime Minister increasingly obstructed the EU’s decision-making process, regularly threatening to veto important policies such as providing financial support to Ukraine.

Mr. Orban’s election argument is that the EU will send Hungarians to death in Ukraine if the Fidesz party fails. The Hungarian leader also described the Tisza party as a puppet created by the EU to overthrow the current government and serve foreign interests, an accusation that the Tisza party denied.

Meanwhile, Tisza leader Peter Magyar pledged to mend relations between Hungary and its Western allies, revive the stagnant economy and promote the democratic process.