The Hungarian population is consistently pro-peace
As a starting point, it should be remembered that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China in the framework of his July peace mission, and then concluded his diplomatic tour with a visit to Donald Trump after attending the NATO summit. The Hungarian Prime Minister’s undisguised aim was to learn the positions of the warring parties and to promote peace. The peace mission received sharp criticism from the political elite in Brussels, who took over the political agenda of the pro-war Biden administration: among others, Ursula von der Leyen called the diplomatic mission a “mission of compromise”, while Josep Borrell, the former High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, stressed that Viktor Orban could not represent the EU in any form in Moscow. The survey reveals that, in contrast to leading politicians in Brussels, Hungarian public opinion supports Viktor Orbán’s efforts to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end.
More than two thirds (68%) of respondents agree that the Hungarian Prime Minister is calling for an end to the armed conflict,
while 29% disagree.
It follows from the pro-peace position of Hungarians that the population is strongly opposed to any steps that could lead to a further prolongation of the Russia-Ukraine war and to the emergence of new countries as belligerents. As a result,
74% of respondents disapprove of the US administration and some European countries sending long-range missiles to Ukraine, which could be used to attack Russia’s own territories.
Trump could end the war in 2025
In the United States, Donald Trump, elected in November, will be inaugurated in January 2025, and his programme prioritises an early end to the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. To this end, the President-elect and his staff have already started exploring ways to promote peace. The survey shows that Hungarians are confident in Trump’s peace ambitions and see an end to the war conflict in the next year as a realistic scenario.
According to the survey, more than three-quarters (77%) of Hungarians believe that there is a real chance that Donald Trump will end the Russia-Ukraine war and bring peace in 2025.
The poll also looked at the perception of Trump’s popularity among Hungarians. Among other things,
the strong desire for peace in Hungary is one of the reasons why the majority of respondents (51%) have a favourable opinion of the pro-peace Donald Trump.
CATI method, n = 1,000, among Hungarian adults, data collection: December 2024
