Several thousand supporters of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán held a “peace march” in the country’s capital on Saturday, June 1 in what was seen as a show of strength ahead of next week’s European parliamentary elections.
The demonstration brought Orbán supporters from all over Hungary and heard him categorize the polls as being an opportunity to change the course of the war in Ukraine, and a choice between peace in Europe or a world war.
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Speaking at a rally that took place after the march Orbán, who is the EU’s longest serving leader, said that Europe must be prevented “from going to war with Russia,” according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
“Europe is preparing for war and every day it goes through a new stage on the road to hell,” he said.
“We have a huge task ahead of us, the likes of which we have never had. We must prevent Europe from entering a war that will lead to its destruction.”
He said that Europe is preparing for war, pouring hundreds of billions of euros worth of weapons into Ukraine and placing nuclear weapons in the middle of Europe.
“It seems that there are no brakes on the pro-war train, and the driver has gone mad,” Orbán said, adding “… we will not go to war and we will not die for others on foreign soil.”
The focus of his campaign for the June 9 ballot has been almost exclusively on the war in Ukraine saying his opponents, both at home and within the wider EU, are warmongers who will drag Hungary into a direct conflict with Russia.
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Orbán has frequently espoused policies that most interpret as pro-Russian narratives and has opposed both the transfer of military aid to Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions against Moscow. He has repeatedly accused the EU of promoting policies in relation to the war that “do not meet the interests of Europeans.”
His government has attempted to block nearly half of the bloc's decisions on Ukraine, so much so, that EU leaders are actively seeking ways of removing Hungary’s veto during sessions that involve joint decision-making. Bloomberg reports that there are provisions contained within the Treaty of the European Union that can allow this but it would be an extraordinary step that has never before been invoked.
Critics say his appeals for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine would allow Russia to retain territories it has occupied and embolden Putin to take further military action in Europe.
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