Hungary’s Orban says EU bigger threat than Russia before April elections

‘Illiberal’ PM, endorsed by ally Trump this week, to receive US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday.Published On 14 Feb 2026Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says his country should fear the European Union more than Russia while promising to clear away the EU’s “oppressive machinery” before what looks will be heated parliamentary elections.Delivering his annual state-of-the-nation speech on Saturday, Orban pledged to push out “the foreign influence that limits our sovereignty together with its agents” as the opposition Tisza Party maintains an 8 to 12 percentage point lead over Orban’s ruling Fidesz party eight weeks from the April 12 elections.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4On Ukraine, ‘liberal’ war hawks make the far right look like peacemakerslist 2 of 4In Ukraine’s west, Hungarian minority rights collide with wartime politicslist 3 of 4Trump endorses Prime Minister Viktor Orban for Hungary’s April electionlist 4 of 4Why is ‘Deuce Bigalow’ rooting for Viktor Orban in Hungary?end of list“Fear-mongering about [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is primitive and unserious. Brussels, however, is a palpable reality and a source of imminent danger,” said the 62-year-old leader, who compared the EU to the repressive Soviet regime that dominated Hungary for decades last century.Since returning to power for a second time in 2010, Orban has waged a campaign against “pseudo-civil organisations”, “bought journalists”, judges and politicians in his drive to build what he calls an “illiberal state”.His crackdown on immigration has provided a blueprint for right-wing leaders, such as United States President Donald Trump.‘War or peace’?In Saturday’s speech, Orban signalled his work of clearing liberal forces from the country is only “half-done”, noting that Trump, who is backing him to win the upcoming vote, “rebelled against the liberals’ global-scale business, media and political network, thereby improving our chances as well”.On Friday, Trump posted a new endorsement of Orban on his Truth Social platform, saying he’s a “truly strong and powerful leader with a proven track record of delivering phenomenal results”.