How the Ukrainian Leadership Enveloped the Tisza Party – Part 1

The Tisza Party may have had a short life so far, but the list of those who have seized control over the Hungarian opposition’s latest rising star is anything but brief. In the first part of our investigative series, we explore how the party led by Peter Magyar ended up in Brussels’ hands.

Tisza Party President Peter Magyar and Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party, sign the Tisza–Brussels pact (Photo: Miklos Teknos)

Foreign interests, of course, are funded from abroad: vast sums of money flow from pocket to pocket, organization to organization, with the aim of enabling Peter Magyar and his party to undermine the Hungarian government’s efforts to protect the interests of its people. Most orders currently arrive from Brussels to the Tisza Party, which dutifully executes all the staged domestic conflicts and political theatrics according to a carefully prepared script.

Peter Magyar and the Tisza Party applaud away the future of Hungarians in the European Parliament (Photo: AFP)

Money and Weapons for a Warring Ukraine

Tisza Party politicians have consistently voted for resolutions in the European Parliament and its committees that commit Brussels to providing further military and financial aid to Ukraine. Among the many such cases was a vote in April, when the Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE), along with the Security and Defense Policy Committee (SEDE), approved the parliamentary stance on the European Defense Industrial Program (EDIP).

As is known, EDIP’s original aim was to enhance Europe’s defense capabilities by strengthening industrial cooperation and investment. While that goal alone would be worth supporting, the document approved at the time saw the liberal majority in the European Parliament — led by the European People’s Party and including Tisza’s Eszter Lakos — endorse an additional five billion euros for arming Ukraine and for integrating the defense industry. This was yet another step aimed at accelerating Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

In serving Brussels’ interests, the Tisza Party is working to prolong the war and push Ukraine into the EU as quickly as possible, with no concern for the harm this may cause to the Hungarian people,

– MEP Kinga Gal responded, on behalf of the Fidesz–KDNP delegation in the European Parliament. She added that Hungary’s governing parties naturally voted against the resolution.

Those in the Tisza Party no longer even pretend otherwise — they openly cater to Brussels’ expectations. Peter Magyar and his circles are representing Ukraine’s interests in Brussels. We do not ship weapons into the Russia–Ukraine war; we stand firmly for peace as soon as possible. The 2025 vote will carry historic weight. It is up to Hungarian citizens to stop Manfred Weber and his loyal Hungarian disciples,

– said Andras Laszlo, a pro-government member of the European Parliament.

Peter Magyar’s People Pose in Ukrainian Colors

After much deception and evasion, the truth about Peter Magyar and his MEPs’ stance on the war has come to light. In November, it became unmistakably clear in Brussels that they had bowed to the pro-war faction. At a special session of the European Parliament, held to mark the thousandth day of the war in Ukraine, Tisza’s representatives donned pro-war Ukrinian jerseys.

Politicians of the European People’s Party listened to Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukrainian jerseys — the Tisza delegation was no exception.

The Tisza Party Collected Signatures for Ukraine’s Accession

While the Tisza Party downplays the significance and risks of Ukraine's EU accession at home, in Brussels it voted in favor of a resolution on the EU budget that contains provisions related to Ukraine. “With this resolution, Tisza’s representatives voted to fully and unconditionally support Ukraine, and for the EU to spend even more money on Ukraine; they also voted for Ukraine to progress toward membership,” pro-government MEP Csaba Domotor emphasized at the time. “We’ve learned from Ursula von der Leyen herself that this means Ukraine could achieve full membership status before 2030 via an accelerated track,” he added. “The Tisza Party is denying the significance of Ukraine’s accession in the same way MSZP denied the migration problem in 2015,” he concluded.

After the Hungarian government announced the launch of the "Vote 2025" public consultation on Ukraine’s fast-tracked EU accession, Peter Magyar fired up his copy machine and launched his own pseudo-vote on the very same topic, among others. Unsurprisingly, this vote — riddled with highly questionable circumstances — produced the result that a majority of Hungarians support Ukraine’s rapid entry into the EU. On this, Manfred Weber had some telling words:

Regarding Tisza’s signature drive, the EPP’s stance is clear: we support Ukraine by every means available… In the European People’s Party, we are backing Ukraine with all our tools, all our strength. And I hope that Hungary, and the Hungarian government, will come to understand that it would be better off cooperating in harmony and friendship with the European Union on this matter,

– Mr. Weber said.

Cover photo: Peter Magyar, president of the Tisza Party, and Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party, sign the Tisza–Brussels pact (Photo: Miklos Teknős)