Orbán Calls EU More Dangerous Than Russia as Election Looms

"Fear-mongering about Putin is primitive and unserious. Brussels, however, is a palpable reality and a source of imminent danger."

With these words, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivered perhaps his most provocative attack on the European Union yet, comparing it to the Soviet regime that once dominated his country. Speaking at his annual state-of-the-nation address on Saturday, the 62-year-old leader promised to clear away the EU's "oppressive machinery" as he faces his toughest electoral challenge in over a decade.

Trailing in the Polls, Doubling Down on Division

Orbán's inflammatory rhetoric isn't just political theater—it's a calculated gamble. His ruling Fidesz party currently trails the opposition Tisza Party by 8 to 12 percentage points with just eight weeks until the April 12 elections. It's the most precarious position he's faced since returning to power in 2010.

The prime minister pledged to push out "the foreign influence that limits our sovereignty together with its agents," signaling that his campaign against what he calls liberal forces is only "half-done." In Orbán's worldview, these foreign agents aren't Russian operatives—they're EU bureaucrats and domestic opponents who challenge his "illiberal state" project.

Remarkably, Orbán drew support from across the Atlantic, noting that Donald Trump "rebelled against the liberals' global-scale business, media and political network, thereby improving our chances as well." The endorsement is mutual: Trump posted Friday on Truth Social calling Orbán "a truly strong and powerful leader with a proven track record of delivering phenomenal results."

The "War or Peace" Frame

Orbán has recast the upcoming election as a stark choice between "war or peace," warning that his main challenger, Peter Magyar of the Tisza Party, would drag Hungary into the conflict raging next door in Ukraine. Billboards across Budapest depict Magyar saying "yes" to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's demand for "Money for Ukraine!"

This messaging reflects Orbán's broader strategy of positioning himself as Hungary's defender against external threats—not from Russia, with whom he's cultivated warm relations, but from the very union Hungary joined in 2004. His resistance to EU sanctions on Russia and his blocking of military aid to Ukraine have made him Putin's most reliable ally within the EU.

Blueprint for Global Populism

Orbán's model extends far beyond Hungary's borders. Since 2010, his systematic dismantling of democratic institutions—targeting "pseudo-civil organizations," "bought journalists," judges, and opposition politicians—has provided a blueprint for populist leaders worldwide. His immigration crackdowns, media consolidation, and judicial capture have been studied and replicated from Brazil to Poland to the United States.

The timing of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Hungary on Sunday adds another layer of intrigue. Fresh from the Munich Security Conference, Rubio will stop in Budapest after meetings in Slovakia with nationalist Prime Minister Robert Fico. The visit signals potential alignment between Trump's "America First" agenda and Orbán's "Hungary First" nationalism.

The Sovereignty Paradox

Yet Orbán's anti-EU stance creates a fundamental contradiction. Hungary receives billions in EU funding—money that has helped modernize the country's infrastructure and economy. While railing against Brussels' "oppression," his government has been one of the largest per-capita beneficiaries of EU structural funds.

This paradox reflects a broader tension within European populism: how to maintain the economic benefits of integration while rejecting its political constraints. Orbán's answer has been to take the money while systematically undermining EU values and institutions.