Peter Magyar Could Pay a Heavy Price for Double Talk on Ukraine

The sharp contrast between the Tisza Party’s rhetoric and its political practice raises questions about consistency and credibility, while double talk risks eroding voter trust on the long run. Politicians and MEPs of the Tisza Party have repeatedly voted in favor of pro-Ukraine resolutions, including calls for increased war spending and military aid, Fanni Lajko, analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights, told Magyar Nemzet.

Peter Magyar faithfully follows Manfred Weber’s pro-war orders (Photo: AFP)

Magyar Peter and the Tisza Party’s rhetoric increasingly raises questions about political consistency, Fanni Lajko, analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights, told our paper,   noting that while at home, Peter Magyar and his team claim to oppose Ukraine’s accelerated EU accession, they promote positions abroad—in the European Parliament—that align closely with the Ukraine policy pursued by Brussels leaders such as Ursula von der Leyen and Manfred Weber.

Peter Magyar says one thing in Hungary and another in the European Parliament
(Photo: AFP/Frederick Florin)

This double talk and the sharp contrast between their domestic political messaging and their practices in Brussels could seriously damage voter trust and raise doubts about political credibility,

the analyst pointed out.

Peter Magyar and His Team Comply with Orders from Brussels

Even though Peter Magyar recently sent a letter to Manfred Weber, the European People’s Party group leader, in an apparent attempt to signal disagreement with Ukraine’s fast-tracked EU accession, reality tells a different story. "The letter is mere theater aimed at calming Hungarian public opinion, while the Tisza Party and the Brussels network behind it have already decided: they fully support Ukraine’s EU membership," said Fanni Lajko.

Tisza Party politicians and MEPs have voted multiple times for pro-Ukraine resolutions, including calls for boosting military aid and war spending. And they have no choice since Manfred Weber ordered everyone to align with his agenda or face consequences,

she said. The emergency resolution titled Solidarity with Ukraine adopted most recently calls for maximal political, military, legal, and economic support to Ukraine during the war. It was approved at the Valencia congress of the European People's Party, the Tisza's party family. The congress was also attended  by Ursula von der Leyen, who has made clear Ukraine must join the EU by 2030.

Meanwhile, Tisza Party politicians appear in the European Parliament wearing T-shirts with the Ukrainian flag. Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, the party’s military expert and Hungary's former chief of staff, reportedly ended NATO speeches with the phrase "Slava Ukraini" (Glory to Ukraine), which demonstrates the party’s foreign and security policy direction.

 

MEPs of the Tisza Party wearing T-shirts with the Ukrainian flag in the European Parliament

Peter Magyar Has Already Pledged Support for Ukraine

It is worth recalling that Peter Magyar himself declared that the party’s program is based on the majority opinion of participants in the Tisza Party’s vote. In that vote, 58 percent supported Ukraine’s accession, making this political stance a priority in the party’s platform. According to Fanni Lajko, although Peter Magyar claims this reflects the will of the people, the vote has no actual legitimacy.

In contrast, the Voks 2025 consultative vote initiated by the Hungarian government provides true legitimacy: here, the opinion of the Hungarian people matters and gives them a say in a crucial question—Ukraine’s EU accession. This is especially important because in the European Council, the Hungarian prime minister participates as a full decision-maker, and the leaders of member states will decide jointly on Ukraine’s EU membership,

she explained. Hungary’s official stance will thus not be based on political theater or external expectations but shaped by the democratic mandate of the Hungarian people—a national interest that Viktor Orban can uphold in Brussels consistently, as the only leader who represents the true will of the voters, she added.

The Hungarian government has launched a consultative vote on Ukraine's EU accession (Photo: Hungarian PM's Communication Office/Vivien Cher Benko)

EU Funds Would All Go to Ukraine

Ursula von der Leyen and the European People’s Party leadership are pushing for Ukraine’s rapid accession. On this topic, security policy expert Gyorgy Nogradi said on Magyar Nemzet’s foreign affairs program that Ukraine does not meet any of the criteria for EU membership.

You can put Ukraine on a fast track, put them on a plane, a rocket, anything—you could admit them to the EU tomorrow morning, but they still won’t meet the requirements. What would be the consequence? I hope they won’t do it. The moment they join, a significant portion of EU funds would flow to Ukraine,

Gyorgy Nogradi said. Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party, has also harshly criticized Hungary for refusing to approve Ukraine’s EU accession. "Weber represents daily political interests. He has selective memory, because he knows that happiness depends on forgetting. He says whatever serves today’s interests and doesn’t care what happened 25 years ago—that’s not his concern," Nogradi concluded.

 Cover photo: Peter Magyar faithfully follows Manfred Weber’s pro-war orders (Photo: AFP)