Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s controversial prime minister, recently took center stage in the European Parliament, but what he received wasn’t applause—it was a public roasting. While laying out Hungary’s priorities for its upcoming EU presidency, including EU enlargement, Orbán pointedly ignored Ukraine, sparking sharp rebukes from the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, and other EU leaders.
Von der Leyen launched a fierce attack on Orbán, accusing him of betraying the spirit of the Hungarian revolutionaries of 1956 by siding with Russia in its war against Ukraine. She didn’t mince words, reminding Orbán—and the world—that peace does not mean surrender, and sovereignty doesn’t equate to occupation. “Would they ever blame the Hungarians for the Soviet invasion in 1956?” she asked pointedly, a rhetorical blow aimed at Orbán’s refusal to support Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Her accusations didn’t stop there. Von der Leyen tore into Orbán’s economic mismanagement, his government’s soft stance on people smugglers, and Hungary’s role as a “back door for foreign interference,” referring to Chinese police patrolling Hungarian streets. And while the EU pledged to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels, Orbán found “alternative ways” to keep buying from Moscow. This, von der Leyen argued, is not European unity—it’s undermining it.
The grilling didn’t stop with von der Leyen. Daniel Freund, a German MEP, delivered perhaps the most cutting indictment, calling Orbán “the most corrupt politician in the European Union.” Freund lambasted him for allegedly embezzling over 14 billion euros of EU funds, money meant to fix Hungarian roads, schools, and hospitals but instead used to build football stadiums and enrich Orbán’s cronies. His demand was crystal clear: “We want our money back!”
Orbán’s hollow defense that the EU has a “losing strategy” in Ukraine and his rejection of any comparison between Hungary’s fight in 1956 and Ukraine’s current war failed to sway the audience. As he stood in Strasbourg, under fire from all sides, the image of Orbán as Europe’s strongman was crumbling. His defiant stance—refusing to stand by Ukraine, cozying up to Moscow, and continuing his corrupt practices—is isolating him from Europe’s democratic core.
It’s high time for the EU to make good on its promises: no more funds for Hungary while it undermines European unity. As the world watches Ukraine’s heroic resistance, Orbán’s refusal to support Kyiv is more than a political miscalculation—it’s a moral failure.
Glory to Ukraine!
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