Orban's anti-Ukraine campaign targets political rival

As Hungary heads toward national elections next spring and the populist, government's popularity slumps, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has zeroed in on a central theme he hopes will sway voters: an alleged threat posed by neighboring Ukraine.

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While most European Union countries have offered political, financial, and military support to Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2029, Hungary under Orban has charted a starkly different course — refusing to supply Ukraine with weapons or allow their transit through Hungarian territory, demanding sanctions relief and rapprochement with Russia, and adopting a combative stance toward both Kyiv and its EU backers.

With his ruling Fidesz party slipping in the polls and a new opposition force gaining momentum, Orban has escalated a sweeping anti-Ukraine campaign — presenting the upcoming election as a referendum on peace or war. Going further, he has accused his leading political opponent of entering into a treasonous pact with Kyiv to overthrow his government and install a pro-Western, pro-Ukraine administration. Some of his ideas mirror the growing anti-Ukraine messaging coming from right-wing populists in the West, including from President Donald Trump.