US and Russia Back Orbán in Hungary Election
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- JD Vance was set to visit Hungary days before the election, with Orbán's political director Balázs Orbán confirming the trip on social media with "!!Official!!" and three emojis; the visit is widely seen as an effort to bolster Orbán as he trails in polls.
- Donald Trump has repeatedly endorsed Orbán, calling him a "fantastic guy" and a "strong and powerful leader," while Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Orbán in February that Trump was "deeply committed to your success" and that the US would be "very interested" in helping if he faced struggles.
- Russian intelligence operatives allegedly proposed staging an assassination attempt on Orbán to bolster his chances of winning, while disinformation networks linked to Russia published content aimed at undermining Orbán's main opponent, Péter Magyar.
- Hungary's foreign minister Péter Szijjártó was alleged to have routinely called Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to pass on details of confidential EU meetings; Szijjártó acknowledged the calls, describing them as "diplomacy."
- Orbán has refused to sign off on a €90bn EU loan to Ukraine; Hungary has been ranked the most corrupt country in the EU by Transparency International and, per a 2022 European Parliament resolution, "can no longer be considered a full democracy."
- A bipartisan pair of US senators introduced legislation calling for sanctions on senior Hungarian officials if Hungary continued to obstruct aid to Ukraine or rely on Russian oil and gas.
Why it matters: The convergence of US and Russian backing for Orbán marks an unusual ideological realignment, with the European Council on Foreign Relations noting the two countries now seem to share a commitment to a "white nationalist Christian civilisational ethic." Orbán's refusal to sign off on the €90bn Ukraine loan and his alleged intelligence-sharing with Moscow make his potential re-election consequential for EU decision-making and transatlantic security.
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