Hungary's attitude to the Ukraine war: Stability instead of risk
Written by Mariann Őry for Junge Freiheit.
As is well known, Hungary has its own perspective when it comes to international politics. This also applies to the war in Ukraine. The country's position on the conflict is now known. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Fidesz) made this clear once again at the NATO summit in Madrid: Hungary must stay out of the war. Only peace can end the inflation and economic crisis caused by the war.
In the liberal German mass media, this attitude is sold as pro-Russian. They ignore the fact that the landlocked country in Central and Eastern Europe is extremely dependent on Russian oil and gas. The country can neither finance a sensible alternative nor implement it in the near future. Like most people in Europe, Hungarians are hit hard by inflation and the resulting price increases. The government is remedying the situation with a program to lower energy prices.
The war in Ukraine was one of the central issues in the Hungarian election campaign before the April polls. Apart from the promise to overthrow Orbán, hardly anything came from the left-liberal opposition list. Finally, the Fidesz-KDNP alliance won for the fourth time in a row with a two-thirds majority in parliament.
In times of crisis, Hungarians don't want to take any risks
Even before the war, election polls indicated that the opposition parties were losing, even if there had been a neck-and-neck race in the meantime. The list had tried to take advantage of the situation, but at times expressed contradictory views and caused irritation. The results on election day spoke for themselves. Several leading opposition politicians now admit that they backed the wrong strategy. They would probably have received more approval from the population with a position similar to that of Fidesz.
In particular, their demand to send weapons and soldiers to Ukraine probably marked their resounding failure. One politician even stated that, according to the NATO treaties, the Hungarian troops are obliged to fight in the war zone if the defense alliance so orders. This clearly shows how little their knowledge of NATO is. With such statements, the opposition is gambling away the trust of Hungarians, who want stable politics that demonstrate expertise and experience.
For many people, the motivation to vote for the opposition alliance was protest. Many detest the government and want to give the other side a chance, even if they have doubts about their ability to run the country. Since the war, the stakes for Hungarians have suddenly increased. Many don't want to take any risks when it comes to a conflict that's happening just around the corner. The prevailing opinion is: the government must protect the country. Before the war and before the looming economic consequences.
Minority issue creates tension
In addition, it should not be forgotten that Hungarians were already familiar with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when the majority of Western European public opinion was ignorant of both the country and its politicians. And unfortunately not for good reasons. For years there have been protests in Hungary against the discriminatory laws from Kyiv. The Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, for example, is not allowed to speak its own mother tongue.
Of course, we Hungarians know that these laws were made with the Russian-speaking minority in mind, and that our people are just "collateral damage". Nonetheless, these policies and the social engagement of chauvinist groups make the country a dangerous and unfriendly place for Hungarians living on what is now Ukrainian territory. The vast majority of Hungarians, regardless of party affiliation, denounce this. This facet is necessary to understand the sometimes tense relationship between the two neighbors.
In the liberal German mass media, this attitude is sold as pro-Russian. They ignore the fact that the landlocked country in Central and Eastern Europe is extremely dependent on Russian oil and gas. The country can neither finance a sensible alternative nor implement it in the near future. Like most people in Europe, Hungarians are hit hard by inflation and the resulting price increases. The government is remedying the situation with a program to lower energy prices.
The war in Ukraine was one of the central issues in the Hungarian election campaign before the April polls. Apart from the promise to overthrow Orbán, hardly anything came from the left-liberal opposition list. Finally, the Fidesz-KDNP alliance won for the fourth time in a row with a two-thirds majority in parliament.
In times of crisis, Hungarians don't want to take any risks
Even before the war, election polls indicated that the opposition parties were losing, even if there had been a neck-and-neck race in the meantime. The list had tried to take advantage of the situation, but at times expressed contradictory views and caused irritation. The results on election day spoke for themselves. Several leading opposition politicians now admit that they backed the wrong strategy. They would probably have received more approval from the population with a position similar to that of Fidesz.
In particular, their demand to send weapons and soldiers to Ukraine probably marked their resounding failure. One politician even stated that, according to the NATO treaties, the Hungarian troops are obliged to fight in the war zone if the defense alliance so orders. This clearly shows how little their knowledge of NATO is. With such statements, the opposition is gambling away the trust of Hungarians, who want stable politics that demonstrate expertise and experience.
For many people, the motivation to vote for the opposition alliance was protest. Many detest the government and want to give the other side a chance, even if they have doubts about their ability to run the country. Since the war, the stakes for Hungarians have suddenly increased. Many don't want to take any risks when it comes to a conflict that's happening just around the corner. The prevailing opinion is: the government must protect the country. Before the war and before the looming economic consequences.
Minority issue creates tension
In addition, it should not be forgotten that Hungarians were already familiar with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when the majority of Western European public opinion was ignorant of both the country and its politicians. And unfortunately not for good reasons. For years there have been protests in Hungary against the discriminatory laws from Kyiv. The Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, for example, is not allowed to speak its own mother tongue.
Of course, we Hungarians know that these laws were made with the Russian-speaking minority in mind, and that our people are just "collateral damage". Nonetheless, these policies and the social engagement of chauvinist groups make the country a dangerous and unfriendly place for Hungarians living on what is now Ukrainian territory. The vast majority of Hungarians, regardless of party affiliation, denounce this. This facet is necessary to understand the sometimes tense relationship between the two neighbors.
Majority of Hungarians reject Zelenskyy and Putin
A current election poll by the Századvég Foundation shows that Hungarians are increasingly rejecting Zelenskyy. Expressed disapproval of the Ukrainian leader rose to 68 percent in June from 65 percent in May. The proportion of respondents who spoke negatively about Russian President Vladimir Putin was 72 percent in June, the same as in May. So the Hungarians are not well-disposed towards either country's leaders.
On the other hand, sympathy with regard to the war is noticeably high. The topic dominates in social media, where a lively exchange of opinions takes place. Facebook groups that advertise with “alternative” news are particularly popular. This is largely due to the reporting by Western media, which are considered biased in Hungary. The skepticism arose not least because the East-Central European country in particular was repeatedly the target of false claims and attacks.
Hungarians have a variety of opinions about the situation in Ukraine and international politics in general. The majority, however, unites in the position that the war should be ended as soon as possible. Most of them do not follow the European narrative that one 's security and livelihood should be sacrificed for Ukraine's victory. So when Orbán says his country doesn't want to be drawn into the war, it's not a show of sympathy for Russia, it's the will of the people.
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Mariann Őry is head of the foreign department of the Hungarian weekly Magyar Hírlap.
A current election poll by the Századvég Foundation shows that Hungarians are increasingly rejecting Zelenskyy. Expressed disapproval of the Ukrainian leader rose to 68 percent in June from 65 percent in May. The proportion of respondents who spoke negatively about Russian President Vladimir Putin was 72 percent in June, the same as in May. So the Hungarians are not well-disposed towards either country's leaders.
On the other hand, sympathy with regard to the war is noticeably high. The topic dominates in social media, where a lively exchange of opinions takes place. Facebook groups that advertise with “alternative” news are particularly popular. This is largely due to the reporting by Western media, which are considered biased in Hungary. The skepticism arose not least because the East-Central European country in particular was repeatedly the target of false claims and attacks.
Hungarians have a variety of opinions about the situation in Ukraine and international politics in general. The majority, however, unites in the position that the war should be ended as soon as possible. Most of them do not follow the European narrative that one 's security and livelihood should be sacrificed for Ukraine's victory. So when Orbán says his country doesn't want to be drawn into the war, it's not a show of sympathy for Russia, it's the will of the people.
——————————–
Mariann Őry is head of the foreign department of the Hungarian weekly Magyar Hírlap.
Source: Junge Freiheit
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