One of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s closest advisers is facing heavy criticism for comments suggesting Hungary would not have fought back against Russia if it had invaded.
Balázs Orbán—no relation to Viktor—said on a podcast Wednesday that Hungary would have opted to surrender rather than launch military resistance if it were faced with a Russian attack, in stark contrast to the defense Ukraine has put up since February 2022.
The prime minister’s political director labeled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to defend Ukraine militarily an “irresponsible” choice.
“Every country has the right to decide its own destiny for itself,” Balázs Orbán said.
He cited the events of the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising where thousands of Hungarians were killed and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes in 12 days of unsuccessful resistance to rule by the USSR, which became known as the Russian Federation after the fall of Communism in 1991.
“But based on ’56, we wouldn’t have done what President Zelensky did two and a half years ago, because it was irresponsible.”
Further referencing Hungary’s own history with Soviet intervention, he added, “precious Hungarian lives” must be treated with caution rather than “offering them up” for military defense.
Political director of Prime Minster Viktor Orban of Hungary, Balázs Orbán, attends the Worldwide Freedom Initiative event in Paris, Nov. 10, 2023. Orbán justified his remarks by referencing Hungary’s experience in the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising, which was violently suppressed by Soviet forces, leading to the deaths of around 3,000 Hungarians.
AP Photo/Michel Euler, File
Balázs Orbán’s comments drew sharp condemnation from Hungary’s opposition leaders.
Péter Magyar, head of the largest opposition party, Tisza (Respect and Freedom), demanded the resignation of Orbán by Oct. 23—the 68th anniversary of the uprising.
The events of that year killed 3,000 civilians and destroyed much of the capital Budapest.
Magyar said the remarks dishonored the memory of Hungarian freedom fighters who died resisting Soviet forces during that revolution.
He took to Facebook to describe the remarks as “treasonous.”
Translated to English, his post reads that the politician has “humiliated the memory of the thousands of Hungarian freedom fighters, hundreds of whom—unlike Balázs Orbán—were willing to sacrifice their lives for the freedom and independence of their country.”
“Such a man cannot hold public office alongside the Hungarian Prime Minister,” Magyar wrote.
Leader of Hungarian opposition party Tisza (Respect and Freedom), Peter Magyar, a former government insider-turned-critic, addresses the party meeting at a sports and cultural center in Budapest, Hungary on July 6, 2024. The lettering on the podium reads ‘Regime change’. He has called for Balázs Orbán’s resignation by Oct. 23, the anniversary of the 1956 anti-Soviet revolution.
ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images
Balázs Orbán has long been an influential figure in Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s administration, playing a key role in shaping Hungary’s foreign policy.
The Hungarian government has taken a decidedly different approach toward the Ukraine war compared to most European Union and NATO allies.
While it has condemned the war, it has also advocated for an immediate ceasefire, pushing for peace talks without clearly stating whether that would respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Hungary has also opposed multiple EU sanctions against Russia.
Critics argue that Hungary’s stance effectively serves Russian interests, undermining European unity on the conflict by delaying financial and military support packages for Ukraine.
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (right) meets with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 5, 2024. This was the pair’s second meeting since Russia’s war with Ukraine broke out. The Hungarian Prime Minister’s adviser Balázs Orbán’s comments come amid growing accusations that Hungary is undermining EU unity and advancing Russian interests.
VALERY SHARIFULIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Opposition leaders like Magyar argue that such comments are not only dangerous, but also deeply out of step, given Hungary’s obligations as a member of NATO.
Orbán’s government has consistently maintained that peace talks are the only viable solution to the conflict, without offering details on how they envision the security of Europe or Ukraine’s future.
Hungary’s official position has caused friction within the EU, especially after Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s two meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past year.
Orbán and Putin first met in October 2023 at Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative forum.
This event made Orbán the first EU leader to engage in a formal, photographed handshake with Putin since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Hungary has never sought to confront Russia. Rather, the opposite is true: Hungary has always pursued the goal of building and expanding the best communication,” Orbán told him.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
