Viktor Orbán begins ‘anti-war roadshow’ as Hungary gears up for 2026 elections | Hungary

Hungary’s prime minister has launched a weeks-long “anti-war roadshow”, turning criticism of European support for Ukraine into an early campaign message ahead of next year’s elections.

Viktor Orbán is scheduled to hold an event in five cities before the end of the year, starting with a meeting in the northwestern city of Győr on Saturday.

“Those who want peace will join us,” the right-wing leader of the Fidesz party said in a post on Facebook before the event.

The series of rallies began a week after Orbán’s visit to Washington DC; here he met with Donald Trump, who agreed to grant Hungary a one-year exemption from US sanctions on oil and gas imports from Russia. The agreement was seen as a boost for Orbán, who has been in power for 15 years, at a time when the country is economically uncertain.

Another of Orbán’s priorities for the trip, according to insiders, was to persuade Trump to visit Hungary to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Orbán maintains ties despite the anger of other European governments.

The Hungarian leader has repeatedly warned of the risks of a spiraling war, and Orbán hopes the “anti-war” message will weaken his opposition ahead of elections in April next year.

However, Péter Magyar, a former member of Fidesz whose Tisza party is currently leading in some independent polls, had organized another event in Győr on the same day. “Fidesz is the party of war and hatred, while Tisza works for peace at home and in the world,” he said in a Facebook post.

Orbán has positioned himself as the voice of reason against the failed EU-led campaign to arm Ukraine. But his opponents at home and in the EU believe the right-wing politician is too close to Putin and call him the Kremlin’s “Trojan horse” in the bloc.

Last month, Orbán led a “peace march”, telling a crowd of thousands that Hungary was “the only country in Europe that stands for peace.”

Relations between Budapest and Kiev have deteriorated after Hungary blocked steps towards Ukraine’s accession to the EU and Orbán refused to impose sanctions on Russia.

The Ukraine issue, which shares a border with Hungary, is constantly reflected in domestic politics. Pro-Fidesz media accused Magyar of collaborating with the Ukrainian secret service and called him “Hungarian Zelenskyy”.

This year, billboards were erected in Hungary showing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen alongside the ominous-looking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with the headline: “They let Ukraine into the EU. We pay the price.”

Vlada, a 23-year-old Ukrainian woman living in Hungary, said: “When families come here from the front line, where they have been under bombardment for years, these posters can re-trigger bad feelings.” He asked that only his first name be used to protect his identity and his relatives, some of whom still live under Russian occupation in Ukraine.

He fled to Hungary at the beginning of the occupation and learned the language, but said he received anti-Ukrainian comments.

“There are pro-peace governments, Switzerland for example. They don’t send weapons, but they help organize reconstruction and peace conferences,” Vlada said.

The issue of “peace” is expected to become the main narrative of Fidesz’s re-election campaign. Dániel Róna, political scientist and director of the independent 21 Research Center, said Fidesz “may try to turn the election into a referendum on war and foreign policy.” But Mátyás Bódi, an expert at independent analysis group Electoral Geography, said the question was “whether this will be enough in the midst of a cost of living crisis”.

The Electoral Geography poll shows Tisza with a 7% lead.

Citing the latest research by independent pollster Policy Solutions, Bódi noted that after 15 years of Fidesz rule, Hungarians are struggling with inflation, a failing healthcare system and deepening problems in education, where voters now trust Tisza more.

Orbán still has an advantage in foreign policy, especially on peace and migration. “But we do not see parties winning elections based on foreign policy,” Bódi said.