Hungary’s Shift Unlocks New Opportunities for NATO and Ukraine
Hungarian NATO soldiers at iconic Kossuth Square in Budapest.
Photographer: Ferenc Isza/AFP/Getty Images
The ousting this month of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in a landslide electoral defeat has generated a flood of commentary. Much of it has been about the implications for far-right populism in Europe. Others have focused on the potential impact to US politics, given the close ties of President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement to Orban’s Fidesz Party and the personal political capital expended by Vice President JD Vance.
What’s gotten less attention is how Orban’s departure will affect geopolitics and military strategy, both in Europe and more broadly. How will his fall change dynamics in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, alter the calculus for Ukraine’s future, and shape the US-European Union relationship?