Bosnian analyst Jasmin Mujanović has stated that Hungary under the leadership of Viktor Orban had become an existential threat to the functioning of the European Union as a foreign policy actor.
In a statement to journalist Melissa Chan, Mujanović stressed that Orban has significantly influenced the weakening of the EU's role on the international stage.
According to him, in addition, the Hungarian Prime Minister has become one of the main supporters of illiberal regimes in Europe, especially in the Western Balkans.
Mujanović assessed that this approach by Hungary is negatively affecting EU cohesion and foreign policy, creating serious challenges to decision-making and unity within the European bloc.
Hungary accused of collaborating with Russia
Orban is facing new accusations of close cooperation with Russia in efforts to ease European Union sanctions on individuals and entities linked to the Kremlin.
According to reports by the international agency Reuters, concerns in Brussels have increased after the publication of materials related to alleged diplomatic communications between Hungarian and Russian officials, a few days before the parliamentary elections in Hungary.
The Warsaw-based investigative portal Vsquare.org has published a recording of an August 2024 conversation in which Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó reportedly pledged to work with Slovakia to remove a family member of a Russian businessman from the EU sanctions list.
"We will do our best to remove it from the list," Szijjártó is heard saying in the recording, according to the publication.
In response, Szijjártó called the publications scandalous, claiming that foreign intelligence services had repeatedly tapped his phone calls and published them at a politically sensitive moment, just before the elections.
"It is a huge scandal that these phone calls were published a week and a half before the Hungarian parliamentary elections," he said on Facebook. The Russian government did not initially comment on the reports.
According to Vsquare.org, in another conversation published off-the-record, Szijjártó reportedly promised Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin a commitment to lifting EU sanctions on Russia's shadow oil tanker fleet.
The publications come at a sensitive political moment in Hungary, just days before the April 12 elections, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is facing increased pressure, while independent polls show the Tisza opposition party leading.
Despite the war in Ukraine, Hungary continues to maintain close relations with Russia and remains dependent on Russian energy imports.
The case has heightened concerns in the EU that Budapest is acting in line with Moscow's interests, undermining European efforts to support Ukraine.
"Bad signal for Vučić"
Orban, as prime minister of Hungary, was the target of harsh criticism from Brussels for undermining democracy in the country and opposing support for Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
However, the Serbian president described him as a "great friend" and said relations between the two countries were "at a high and historic level".
Vucic himself became the target of criticism from Brussels, due to his relations with Moscow and Beijing, as well as the state of the rule of law in Serbia.
"With the loss of Orban, Vučić lost an important ally and representative in the European Union. There was an authoritarian brotherhood between the two political leaders, and this is what they based their relationship on," says Popov.
He adds that Fidesz's loss is a "bad signal" for Vučić, because it has an "encouraging" effect on opposition voters.
"It has been proven that Orban, who had the support of both [US President Donald] Trump and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, and who ruled Hungary for 16 years, can lose to a man who founded the party two years ago and led it to victory," Popov adds.
