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Tag: Viktor Orban

The mouse’s revolt against the lion – are Hungary’s pro-Russian days over for good?

The recent victory of Péter Magyar in Hungary suggests that Budapest’s pro-Russia policies are coming to an end. This closeness with Moscow has a long legacy that is ultimately related to how Hungarians have viewed their relationship with the state over many decades.

June 19, 2026 - Lili Anna Lempek

A democratic Hungary: priorities and ambitions after Orbán

The recent victory of Péter Magyar’s Tisza party in Hungary has led to excited discussions regarding the future of the country. A great amount of internal and external change must occur if Budapest is to truly take advantage of this moment after many years under Viktor Orbán’s illiberal rule.

April 27, 2026 - Ferenc Laczó

Orbán’s Ukraine narrative  

In late January a Russian drone damaged the Druzhba pipeline, through which Russian oil flows to Slovakia and Hungary. While after the attacks Ukraine admitted that reparations were (and still are) needed, Orbán stated – based on a satellite image – that the pipeline has been operational, and that it is simply not working for political reasons.

April 7, 2026 - Ludwik Botfy

When comfort outweighs democracy

Viktor Orbán’s dominance rests not only on power politics, but also on memory. By mobilizing fear, promising protection, and offering small but symbolically charged material rewards, Fidesz has revived a political logic familiar from the Kádár era – one in which security matters more than participation and comfort outweighs democracy. As Hungary approaches another electoral cycle, the question is no longer whether nostalgia still works, but whether it is finally losing its grip.

February 23, 2026 - Andrea Schmidt

Inside Viktor Orbán’s worst political crisis yet

There is no sugar-coating it: after 15 years of unchecked power, Hungary’s Fidesz has plunged into its most severe political crisis yet. Worsening economic data, the rise of a far more potent opposition, and shifting international political trends have led to an unprecedented situation. For much of 2025, Fidesz has no longer been the strongest party. That position now belongs to the new challenger, Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party.

With parliamentary elections scheduled in Hungary for next year, it is now entirely possible, though still hard to believe, that the Viktor Orbán regime could come to an end. Yet the situation is far from simple. Orbán and his allies still possess overwhelming economic power and, crucially, continue to conduct precise polling on voter attitudes.

July 8, 2025 - Samu Czabán

The growing dangers of European radical populism for Europe and Ukraine

The populist challenge in Europe now appears everywhere across the continent. Questioning the continent’s liberal-democratic norms, these forces are particularly hostile to continued aid to Ukraine. Overall, it appears that several key personalities are leading the charge in this regard.

April 2, 2024 - Joshua Kroeker

Kidnapping EU: misuse of the veto power on enlargement

On December 15th 2023, the leaders of Ukraine would have been shocked to hear that the EU might not provide its 50 billion euros as a result of Hungarian Prime Minister Orban's veto. The EU's right of veto has often been unduly used and exploited by EU member states against their neighbours, generally for issues unrelated to EU values.

March 8, 2024 - Rigels Lenja

The end of a friendship? Orbán’s opportunism on Russia may break the Polish-Hungarian axis in the EU

Orbán’s Russia-friendly course over the last year strained relations with EU institutions and put the country at odds with fellow EU member states. With no imminent end to Russia’s war in Ukraine in sight, the continuation of this opportunism may cost him dearly, as Hungary could lose its last ally in the EU, Poland, for good.

May 15, 2023 - Gabriela Greilinger

How Hungary’s Russia connection undermines EU support for Ukraine

Budapest’s readiness to block military and financial aid to Kyiv, delay EU sanctions against Russia and its outspoken criticism thereof are creating serious repercussions for the EU’s image as a foreign policy actor vis-á-vis Russia. These issues further indicate deep divisions among member states and call into question European unity. They also reveal one of the EU’s most discussed weaknesses, namely, its inability to speak with one voice in foreign policy.

To the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, any measure is welcome to achieve his personal and inner circle’s objectives. While being a member of western institutions, such as the European Union and NATO, Orbán consistently seeks contact with autocrats from the East, particularly Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. This double-faced foreign policy benefits the Hungarian government in two ways: first, it helps to uphold its image as a credible actor on the world stage back home; and second, it ensures that Hungary continues receiving financial support and legitimation for its illiberal model of governance from outside of the EU.

February 15, 2023 - Gabriela Greilinger

In the footsteps of Viktor Orbán’s invincibility

Viktor Orbán’s thoughts about the Hungarian people almost always appear in his speeches. If you search for the term "Hungarian people" on Orbán’s personal site, a peculiar universe unfolds in front of your eyes. Certainly, his target is not the liberal Budapest intelligentsia, but rather ordinary Hungarians, a group that Orbán knows best – and grants him victory.

Whatever the expression means, Hungary has degraded into a “partly-free” democracy in recent years according to Freedom House. We are now both geographically and politically halfway between Germany and Belarus. Our democratic institutions still stand but they are like houses whose only renovation has been the façade – they look nice from the street but if one enters, destruction is obvious. This is because the caretaker was not appointed as the result of the residents’ trust but that of the local real estate tycoon. According to the 2022 World Press Freedom Index, Hungary’s media ranks 85th, behind Guinea and ahead of Israel. It was 23rd in 2010. No other country has slid down about five places on an annual basis.

July 14, 2022 - Szabolcs Vörös

Miscalibrated ambitions, or the shock of repetition

Fidesz wins a fourth term in office in Hungary following an election campaign marred by disinformation. The united opposition’s aspirations of ousting Viktor Orbán from power turned out to be nothing but false hope.

April 5, 2022 - Ferenc Laczó

Russia’s war in Ukraine: has oscillating Orbán run out of steam?

Eager to attract investment from Russia and China and prove his independence, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has pursued a foreign policy independent from Brussels. Unwilling to give up EU membership or his opposition to EU principles, he has aspired to reframe the idea of Europe into one of sovereign Christian nations. The war in Ukraine, however, may be about to put an end to his strategy.

April 1, 2022 - Victoria Harms

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