Zelenskyy cited the reason for Orbán's defeat in the Hungarian elections
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s defeat in the April 12 parliamentary elections is a strategic consequence of his policies. Volodymyr Zelenskyy made this remark in an interview. According to the head of state, the Hungarian government’s campaign was built on hate speech, which may yield short-term results but does not ensure victory in the long run. “I have said this many times. Many leaders disagreed with me. You cannot win constantly on the basis of hatred. You can win tactically on the basis of hatred, but strategically—you will definitely lose,” Zelenskyy emphasized. The president also noted that he tried to build a relationship with Orbán, even despite public campaigns against him. “Even when he was putting up billboards expressing hatred toward me, I said that I am the choice of the Ukrainian people. Hatred toward me is a projection of hatred toward Ukrainians. And then they began to confirm this in their messages,” he noted. Zelenskyy stated that Orbán’s government blocked logistics through Hungary, limited support for Ukraine, and stalled sanctions packages against Russia. “Banning weapons and support for Ukraine isn’t directed against me personally. It’s against the Armed Forces and our people. Blocking transit forces us to find other routes. Remember, step by step, that’s exactly how it happened. They banned logistics through their territory, banned support, and blocked sanctions packages. The 20th sanctions package has been blocked. They removed Russian oligarchs from the lists we submitted,” the president said. At the same time, he refuted the Hungarian side’s arguments about the alleged reasons for blocking aid due to minority issues. “That’s a lie. I meet with the minority; we do everything they want. And here’s 90 billion euros. And that’s already a strategic loss. He built his campaign on hatred toward Ukrainians. And the Hungarians showed him: we don’t agree with that,” Zelenskyy concluded. Prior to this, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán spoke for the first time about his party’s defeat in the parliamentary elections. He stated that he “feels pain and emptiness” and views his work as a kind of “therapy.” The politician also made a statement regarding his future.
Orbán spoke for the first time since his election defeat.
International observers noted high voter turnout in Hungary’s parliamentary elections, but pointed out a lack of equal opportunities for candidates due to systemic advantages enjoyed by the ruling party. However, this did not help the party.
As a reminder, according to the results of 98.93% of the votes counted, the “Tisa” party received 69.35% of the vote. This gives the opposition 138 seats in parliament, allowing it to form a constitutional majority on its own.
