Camilla Jessen
Sharp words from Washington have added international pressure to Hungary’s already heated election campaign.
Speaking at a political rally on Saturday ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections in April, Orbán described Ukraine as a “national enemy.” His remarks focused on Kyiv’s efforts to push the European Union to halt energy imports from Russia.
Orbán argued that cutting off Russian energy would harm Hungary’s interests.
“Anyone who says this is an enemy of Hungary, so Ukraine is our enemy,” he said, referring to pressure from Kyiv and Brussels.
Russia’s energy exports remain a major source of funding for Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.
US backlash
US Senator Thom Tillis responded swiftly in a post on X.
“It’s sad that Orbán clearly prefers to be a puppet of Putin instead of being a friend of NATO,” the Republican senator from North Carolina wrote.
“This is something the Hungarian people should consider when they go to the polls this spring,” Tillis added, directly linking Orbán’s foreign policy stance to the upcoming vote.
Tillis has been a consistent supporter of Ukraine in the US Senate, backing American aid packages and condemning Russia’s invasion.
Strong views on Putin
The senator has previously used blunt language about the Russian president.
He once described Vladimir Putin as “a cancer” and “the greatest threat to democracy in my lifetime.”
“Anyone who thinks there’s any room for Vladimir Putin and the future of a stable globe would do well to go to Ukraine,” Tillis said in earlier remarks.
His comments place him among the most outspoken Republican critics of Moscow.
Election pressures
Orbán has long been viewed as an outlier in the European Union for maintaining close ties with Putin.
As Hungary’s election campaign intensifies, he has increasingly targeted both Kyiv and Brussels.
Experts speaking to TVP World said Orbán is seeking to shift blame by portraying EU plans to reduce reliance on Russian energy and support Ukraine as money being “taken from Hungary.”
A recent independent poll suggests mounting trouble for the prime minister.
The opposition Tisza party, led by Péter Magyar, was backed by 51% of likely voters, compared with 39% for Orbán’s Fidesz party.
The figures point to the most serious political challenge Orbán has faced since taking power in 2010.
Sources: X, TVP World, independent polling data, Digi24
