On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. In the three years since, much has changed in world politics, including the perception of the warring parties. These three difficult years have been a sad reminder of how deeply entrenched Russian influence has become in the Central and Eastern European region and the post-Soviet space. In Hungary in particular, we have witnessed what the Russian political and propaganda machine is capable of when the Kremlin feels the need to accelerate.
Three years ago, in March 2022, Republikon Institute asked the Hungarian public how they felt about the Russo-Ukrainian war and about aid to the Ukrainians. In 2022 not only Péter Szijjártó, the Hungarian Foreign Minister, but also the Hungarian public's Sovietisation of opinion had not reached the levels of 2025. In 2022, Péter Szijjártó declared his absolute support for Ukraine, and two-thirds of Hungarians agreed that "Hungary has a duty to help our Ukrainian neighbours, even if this may have negative economic consequences for Hungary". More than 80 percent of opposition voters and 55 percent of Fidesz-KDNP voters also agreed with this statement, while only 28 percent of government party voters disagreed with unconditional assistance to Ukraine.
Much has changed in the past three years. Today, Ukrainian President Zelensky is featured on the newest posters of the ruling parties, alongside the current Brussels bogeymen. Politicians from the ruling parties have embarked on a nationwide tour to campaign against Ukraine's accession to the EU. The Hungarian government's campaign to oppose Ukraine's accession came just as the Russian side in the US-Russia negotiations on Ukraine's EU membership was conceding, leaving the issue of Ukraine's EU membership to EU member states. The Hungarian government has thus taken the role of making Ukraine's EU membership impossible and has launched a vote on Ukraine's EU membership in the form of a national consultation.
The strongest opposition challenger, Tisza Party, has initiated its own consultation, which also includes the issue of Ukrainian membership. Despite all this, there is little information on what Ukraine's accession to the EU would mean for Ukraine, or indeed how it would take place, or even when it would happen. Political communication is silent on how long EU enlargement would take. Republikon Institute therefore asked[1] Hungarian voters whether they would support Ukraine's accession to the EU, differentiating between the answer options by timeframe.
The research is available in English through this link.
Republikon is funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed at the event do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. They are not the responsibility of the European Union or the organisation providing the funding.
[1] The survey was conducted by telephone among 1000 people between 26 March and 1 April 2025. The survey is representative of the adult Hungarian population by gender, age, level of education and type of settlement. Margin of error: +/- 3.5%.
