Hungary's upcoming parliamentary election on April 12 has drawn an unusual pair of backers for the same candidate. Both Moscow and Washington have signaled clear support for Prime Minister Viktor Orban, creating a situation rarely seen in European democratic politics.
The alignment became visible in early March, "Hvylya" reports, citing an analysis by Peter Kreko, director of the Political Capital Institute in Budapest. On March 3, Orban held a phone call with Vladimir Putin. Days later, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto flew to Moscow and returned with two freed prisoners of war - dual citizens of Ukraine and Hungary. The move was widely interpreted as Putin endorsing Orban's re-election bid.
From the other side of the Atlantic, Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Hungary in February and spoke of a "golden age" in bilateral relations. US conservative networks have reportedly deployed campaign consultants to advise Orban's team, Vice President JD Vance is expected in Budapest ahead of the vote, and Donald Trump himself has signaled his endorsement. The recent staging of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Hungary underlined Orban's transatlantic connections.
Orban's appeal to both camps rests on his willingness to obstruct EU decision-making. For Putin, the EU is an enemy supporting Ukraine. For Trump, the bloc is an economic rival. According to Kreko, the alignment is unprecedented in central and eastern European elections, where US and Russian political camps have never so openly backed the same leader.
Moscow has also been accused of running covert influence operations to support Orban's re-election, with European intelligence services publicly disclosing alleged GRU activity and disinformation campaigns targeting Hungarian voters.
"Hvylya" earlier reported on how Zelensky addressed US accusations and shared details of security negotiations with Washington.