Anton Hofreiter, chairman of the European Committee in the Bundestag and a member of the Greens, views the defeat of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán against Peter Magyar primarily as a setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hofreiter told the “Tagesspiegel” (Tuesday edition) that “the loss hurts Putin the most. There is likely a mood of gloom in the Kremlin”.
He noted that Orbán had blocked the EU for years and had been described as “an agent of the enemies of the EU, of Putin, and Trump”. According to Hofreiter, this defeat also negatively impacts US President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, as “like all right-wing populists and extremists in Europe, because Orbán was always the point of reference for them”. Furthermore, Hofreiter pointed out that Orbán had partially provided financial support to these groups.
The decisive election victory for Magyar now opens a “window of opportunity” for both the EU and the German government “to genuinely help Ukraine”. With the change of government in Budapest, Hofreiter sees a “very, very large” chance to release the 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine, which had previously been blocked by Hungary. He emphasized that releasing these funds is in the interest of European freedom and security.
Hofreiter also interprets Orbán’s downfall as evidence that the rise of right-wing populism in Europe is far from unstoppable. “Orbán’s defeat is a heavy blow to the far-right movement” he stated. He anticipates that the new government in Budapest will restore the rule of law, freedom of the press, and human rights before any frozen EU funds are released.
