Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule in Budapest ended after he conceded defeat in Hungary’s elections to his opponent Péter Magyar. As Politico’s European editorial team writes, the consequences of Sunday’s vote extend far beyond the country’s borders, Focus reports.
This year, Orbán vetoed a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, which was agreed upon by EU leaders, including himself, in December 2025. Magyar is seeking to establish good relations with Brussels and is likely to unblock the loan for Ukraine. For Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, this is a “victory with a bitter taste”, as the future prime minister has stated that he is against the supply of Hungarian weapons or money to Kiev, as well as against accelerating the process of Ukraine's accession to the EU.
Magyar has promised to put this issue to a referendum, which in practice will mean a delay in the process, given the strong anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Hungarian society, which he must respond to in order to maintain his support, the publication writes.
At the same time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa may say goodbye to “one of the most stubborn EU leaders”, who has exercised his right of veto over important Brussels decisions, in particular regarding financial support for Ukraine.
Orbán was also one of the “most vocal opponents of Brussels”: fueled euroscepticism, undermined the rule of law and repeatedly opposed EU legislation, which posed a direct challenge to the Commission's ability to enforce its rules, the Brussels publication writes.
However, according to journalists, Magyar's victory “deals a blow to the White House“, which has now lost its key ally in Europe amid deteriorating transatlantic relations.
FOCUS recalls that US Vice President J.D. Vance visited Orbán in Budapest to support his campaign, boasted that he would win, and accused the EU of interfering in the election.
US President Donald Trump has publicly expressed his support for Orbán five times in the past six months and promised that Washington would provide economic aid to Hungary.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has lost a key ally and a valuable source of information in the EU.
In recent months Hungarian and international media have revealed close ties between Budapest and Moscow, including telephone conversations between Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
FOCUS recalls that parliamentary elections were held in Hungary on April 12. According to the results of the counting of 99% of the votes, "Tisza" is winning the elections in Hungary. Péter Magyar's party should receive 138 seats in parliament, "Fidesz" -55, and "Our Homeland" -6.