The Ghost of Propaganda: Will Relations with Hungary Be Quickly Improved?

The change of political elites in Budapest does not automatically mean the disappearance of negative stereotypes that have been entrenched in Hungarian society for years. Péter Magyar’s high results in the elections reflect an internal demand for change, not a sudden surge of sympathy for Ukrainians.

This opinion was expressed on the air of “Pryamoy” by political analyst Volodymyr Horkovenko.

“This massive anti-Ukrainian propaganda, which has been going on in Hungary for at least the last four years, when banners with Zelensky were hung all over the country, has not gone anywhere,” the studio guest noted.

According to him, polls show a worrying trend: the level of support for Ukraine in Europe and in Hungary in particular has significantly decreased compared to the beginning of the full-scale invasion. If in 2022 this figure exceeded 50%, now it has fallen below 40%. Despite his success, Magyar is forced to take into account these moods of voters, which is why his position on supplying weapons to Kyiv remains restrained, Horkovenko is convinced.

The political analyst believes that the situation can be corrected only through prolonged information work. The new Hungarian authorities must begin to convince their own citizens that the real aggressor is in Moscow, not in a neighboring state, and without such a campaign, public opinion in many European Union countries will continue to be unfavorable to Ukraine, explains Volodymyr Horkovenko.

As a reminder, the European Union has put forward 27 demands to Hungary’s incoming Prime Minister Peter Magyar in exchange for unfreezing 35 billion euros for the country. Key conditions include unblocking 90 billion euros in financial aid to Ukraine and lifting the veto on sanctions against Russia.

At the same time, Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar, whose party won the elections, opposed Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the EU, but said he would not block a €90 billion loan for Kyiv . Separately, Magyar said he was ready for dialogue with Ukraine and planned to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky to improve relations.

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