Orbán uses Zelenskyy's words against him: Will it influence Hungary's vote?
Photo: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is using statements from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the elections to convince voters of the correctness of his position on Ukraine. But this time the plan may not work, believes Rasto Kuzel, executive director of the organization Memo 98 (Slovakia), which monitors political processes in the EU.
What Zelenskyy said and how Orbán is using it
On March 5, Zelenskyy said he would "give Orbán’s address" to Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters if Orbán continued blocking the €90 billion loan for Ukraine.
Pro-government Hungarian media and officials immediately picked up on these words.
"Orbán uses them as confirmation of his long-standing narrative that Hungary is under external pressure and that his government must protect the country from being dragged into war," Kuzhel noted.
In other words, Zelenskyy’s statement became a convenient argument for the Hungarian authorities: supposedly, here is proof that we are under pressure.
But this time, such a strategy may not produce the expected result.
"There are signs that some Hungarian voters are tired of such rhetoric. After many years of constant confrontational campaign, its mobilization effect may be weaker than before," the expert emphasized.
Oil blackmail and Orbán's accusations
Relations between Kyiv and Budapest, which were already tense, worsened further at the beginning of 2026. The main stumbling block was the Druzhba oil pipeline. After the transit of Russian oil through Ukraine was halted, Viktor Orbán moved to direct blackmail.
The Hungarian prime minister officially stated that Budapest would block any EU financial aid (including the €90 billion loan) until Ukraine restored energy supplies.
Orbán did not stop at economic claims. On March 9, the politician stated that Ukraine is needed by Hungary only as "something that stands between us and Russia," denying Ukraine the right to agency and EU membership.
On March 11, Orbán published a video claiming that his children and grandchildren were allegedly receiving threats from Ukrainians. This is yet another overt attempt to demonize Ukraine in the eyes of ordinary Hungarians ahead of the elections.
Read more about the elections in the RBC-Ukraine report.
Budapest was the only one to oppose a critically important aid package for Ukraine’s 2026–2027 budget, forcing Brussels to look for a plan B to bypass the Hungarian veto.
