Authored by Liz Heflin via Remix News,
Máté Kocsis, the leader of the Fidesz faction, announced after a meeting of the National Security Committee that, according to information obtained by the Hungarian secret services, the Ukrainian state had launched a smear campaign against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
“It is not news that a Ukrainian intelligence operation has been launched to discredit Viktor Orbán, as the Hungarian intelligence services reported on it at the meeting of the National Security Committee of the Parliament,” Levente Boros Bánk, director of political analysis at the Nézőpont Institute, told Magyar Nemzet.
The goal is to undermine the international reputation of the prime minister and weaken Hungary’s ability to assert its interests.
This is nothing new for Hungary, as the country, namely, successive Orbán governments, has repeatedly been targeted by such campaigns initiated by foreign state and non-state entities, with American groups highly active.
Now, with Trump in office and cutting foreign aid left and right, Zelensky is getting aggressive, targeting a country that has been continuously promoting peace since the war began. Notably, Zelensky may be using European and American taxpayer money to accomplish these goals, as his country is highly reliant on foreign aid and loans.
Orbán is also close to Trump and flew immediately to Mar-a-Lago after his win to, among other topics, discuss fast-tracking peace talks in Ukraine, which Kyiv feels will mean conceding more to Moscow than they are willing to give.
As to this latest campaign from Ukraine, Noros Bánks said: “They aimed to create minimal disruption but also to help opposition figures change the government. There is both intelligence and other evidence of this; just think of the DatAdat scandal or the fact that the previous U.S. leadership provided funds to opposition formations.”
The ultimate goal is “to create confusion,” he said, adding that the timing makes sense, given Ukraine is losing much of its previous American support under Biden with the new Trump administration.
Máté Kocsis also clarified that Hungarian press products were involved in the Ukrainian intelligence operation, which is not surprising since activist groups and left-wing media have frequently taken foreign money to help spread misinformation or certain narratives against the Hungarian government.
Zoltán Kovács, Hungary’s secretary of state for international communication, posted on X:
“‘For those who can be bought, nothing is too expensive,” said Máté Kocsis, leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group, after today’s National Security Committee meeting. "(…) Some who claim to be independent are now selling out Hungary for Ukrainian money, as significant funds have been allocated for this operation, with certain Hungarian media outlets already involved.”
Boros Bánk said similar campaigns are being run to incite discontent against the government in Slovakia and Serbia, with concrete evidence of foreign intervention in both countries.
He added that both countries have good relations with Hungary and share the same position on several issues, such as countering migration and promoting peace in Ukraine, going against the European mainstream.
Furthermore, both Hungary and Slovakia are directly impacted by Zelensky’s decision to end gas transit from Russia, although one analyst has recently said that this move “will likely hurt Ukraine more than it hurts Russia.”