Orbán’s favourite villain? How Ukraine hijacked Hungarian politics

Why is Ukraine plastered across Hungary’s billboards and campaign ads as if it were on the ballot itself? And what does Viktor Orbán really gain from keeping Volodymyr Zelensky in the minds, hearts and social media algorithms of Hungarians?In this episode of the Visegrad Insight Podcast, Wojciech Przybylski speaks with Viktória Serdült, journalist at HVG in Budapest, about how Ukraine became the central prop of Hungary’s permanent election campaign.Together they discuss:How the ‘pro-war / pro-peace’ propaganda line turned into a full-blown anti-Ukraine campaign in HungaryWhy Zelensky, Ursula von der Leyen and Péter Magyar are glued together on Fidesz billboards as the alleged ‘pro-war’ trioWhat ordinary Hungarians actually think about the war and Ukraine’s EU membership, beyond government messagingThe role of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine and long-term mistrust in shaping public opinionHow agriculture, gas transit and EU funds quietly sit behind the slogans about peace and sovereigntyWhy Russia is barely mentioned in Budapest’s rhetoric about a war that Moscow startedWhat to watch in 2025–2026 as Hungary heads into yet another high-stakes electoral cycle with Ukraine at the centreWatch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jdmBOuqQgLwListen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6DjmhfAz6U2y4zOqa9zQ5u?si=z-nh1ZYNQj6dtGUp1V3Kbg