Hungary’s Orbán stakes his reelection on anti-Ukraine message
As the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, Hungary’s populist government, led by Viktor Orbán, has launched an aggressive anti-Ukraine campaign hoping it will help to hold on to power. (AP video by: Bela Szandelszky)
2 of 6 | A billboard showing an AI-generated image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, flanked by European officials is displayed at a bus stop in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
3 of 6 | People walk with Ukrainian flags to the Russian Embassy during a solidarity march in support of Ukraine in Budapest, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, two days ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Noemi Bruzak/MTI via AP)
4 of 6 | A man fixes a partially damaged billboard showing an AI-generated image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, flanked by European officials, in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
5 of 6 | A billboard shows an AI-generated image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, flanked by European officials, in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
6 of 6 | A man passes a billboard that shows an AI-generated image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flanked by European officials and reads: “We Don’t Pay,” in Budapest, Hungary, Monday Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
As the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, Hungary’s populist government, led by Viktor Orbán, has launched an aggressive anti-Ukraine campaign hoping it will help to hold on to power. (AP video by: Bela Szandelszky)
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. --> Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More 2 of 6 | A billboard showing an AI-generated image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, flanked by European officials is displayed at a bus stop in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
A billboard showing an AI-generated image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, flanked by European officials is displayed at a bus stop in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. --> Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More 3 of 6 | People walk with Ukrainian flags to the Russian Embassy during a solidarity march in support of Ukraine in Budapest, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, two days ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Noemi Bruzak/MTI via AP)
People walk with Ukrainian flags to the Russian Embassy during a solidarity march in support of Ukraine in Budapest, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, two days ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Noemi Bruzak/MTI via AP)
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. --> Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More 4 of 6 | A man fixes a partially damaged billboard showing an AI-generated image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, flanked by European officials, in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
A man fixes a partially damaged billboard showing an AI-generated image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, flanked by European officials, in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. --> Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More 5 of 6 | A billboard shows an AI-generated image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, flanked by European officials, in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
A billboard shows an AI-generated image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, flanked by European officials, in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. --> Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More 6 of 6 | A man passes a billboard that shows an AI-generated image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flanked by European officials and reads: “We Don’t Pay,” in Budapest, Hungary, Monday Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
A man passes a billboard that shows an AI-generated image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flanked by European officials and reads: “We Don’t Pay,” in Budapest, Hungary, Monday Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. --> Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More By JUSTIN SPIKE Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] --> Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. --> Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit freestar.queue.push(function() { let thisPlacement = "apnews_leaderboard"; window.fsAdCounts = window.fsAdCounts || {}; window.fsAdCounts[thisPlacement] = window.fsAdCounts[thisPlacement] + 1 || 0; let adList = document.getElementsByClassName(thisPlacement); if (adList.length BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Facing tough odds in an upcoming election, Hungary’s pro-Russian prime minister is trying to convince voters that the greatest threat to the country is not economic stagnation — the focus of his top opponent — but neighboring Ukraine.
Viktor Orbán is running an aggressive media campaign replete with disinformation whose central message is that Hungarians should refuse to align with the rest of Europe in supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. That path, he argues, risks bankrupting the country and getting its youth killed on the front lines.
Billboards erected across the country show AI-generated images of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flanked by European officials, holding out his hand as if demanding money. It’s a not-so-subtle reference to the European Union’s efforts to help Ukraine financially and bolster its defenses as the war enters its fifth year.
“Our message to Brussels: We won’t pay!” the publicly funded billboards read.
AP AUDIO: Hungary’s Orbán stakes his reelection on anti-Ukraine message AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports on Hungary’s upcoming elections and President Viktor’s Orban’s anti-Ukrainian campaign.
If there had been any doubt, it became clear on Monday why the outcome of Hungary’s upcoming election will reverberate beyond its borders. Hungary blocked a new package of EU sanctions on Russia in response to interruptions in Russian oil supplies that pass through Ukraine, and vowed to veto any further pro-Ukraine policies until oil flows resume.
Zelenskyy says Putin has ‘not broken’ Ukrainians as he marks 4 years since Russia’s all-out invasion 6 MIN READ An interactive map of 4 years of war in Ukraine 1 MIN READ An attacker detonates an explosive device in Moscow, killing a police officer and himself 1 MIN READ On Wednesday, Orbán went further and deployed military and police forces around power plants and other facilities, claiming without providing evidence that Ukraine was plotting to attack the country’s energy system.
