Viktor Orbán Seeks End of American-Led World

Call it bluster or statesmanship, Viktor Orbán’s pugnacity, which was on full display at the most recent European Council meeting, has not made him many friends in Europe. Even the “populist” right — from Italy, through Sweden, to Finland — is increasingly aware of the threat posed to the continent by Russia and sees Hungary’s obstructionism as toxic.

American conservatives, in contrast, are cutting the Hungarian strongman far more slack. Not only do they see Orbán as a defender of the West against the onslaught of woke ideology, many seem also attuned to his view of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Just last week, as Volodymyr Zelensky was visiting Washington, Hungarian political operatives were in town, too, to dissuade Republican legislators from supporting Ukraine.

Call it bluster or statesmanship, Viktor Orbán’s pugnacity, which was on full display at the most recent European Council meeting, has not made him many friends in Europe. Even the “populist” right — from Italy, through Sweden, to Finland — is increasingly aware of the threat posed to the continent by Russia and sees Hungary’s obstructionism as toxic.

American conservatives, in contrast, are cutting the Hungarian strongman far more slack. Not only do they see Orbán as a defender of the West against the onslaught of woke ideology, many seem also attuned to his view of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Just last week, as Volodymyr Zelensky was visiting Washington, Hungarian political operatives were in town, too, to dissuade Republican legislators from supporting Ukraine.