BUDAPEST: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was to address a mass rally in Budapest on Saturday, as he increasingly stokes fears of war between the West and Russia with verbal attacks on Brussels and NATO ahead of elections.
As Moscow鈥檚 closest EU ally despite its invasion of Ukraine, Orban has refused to send weapons to Kyiv while blocking European military aid.
He repeatedly has said that Ukraine 鈥渃annot win鈥� against Russia, claiming that 鈥渕ost people want鈥� a ceasefire and peace negotiations.
In recent weeks, the nationalist leader has ramped up his rhetoric, accusing Brussels and NATO of fueling the war in Ukraine by providing support.
While slamming other EU leaders and those critical of the government as 鈥減ro-war,鈥� Orban has characterised the upcoming European elections as a referendum on the conflict, saying he was now 鈥渇ighting for peace alone鈥� in the bloc.
On Friday, Orban again hit out at NATO, accusing the defense alliance of 鈥渄ragging鈥� Hungary into war over Ukraine, comparing it to how Adolf Hitler had pressured it into joining in World War II.
He also took a swipe at recent decisions by Western nations to allow Kyiv to use weapons they supply to Ukraine to fire at targets in Russia.
Orban also mentioned the possibility of a compulsory EU conscription in reference to alleged 鈥淕erman and European鈥� plans put forward, even though Brussels had never suggested such an idea and does not have the right to introduce compulsory conscription.
The Hungarian leader said the idea of 鈥渟omeone else (than us) deciding over the blood of Hungarians鈥� was 鈥渦nacceptable.鈥�
Mass rallies in support of the ruling Fidesz party 鈥� dubbed 鈥減eace marches鈥� even before Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine 鈥� have been routinely organized before important elections since Orban鈥檚 return to power in 2010.
Orban, who faces local as well as EU elections in the coming days, was expected to address the rally in central Budapest at 15:00 p.m. (1300 GMT).
According to political analyst Zsuzsanna Vegh, Orban鈥檚 attacks on NATO claiming that the alliance 鈥渋nstead of protecting us, is dragging us as a member state into a world war,鈥� have reached a new stage.
Orban recently also suggested that he would like to 鈥渞edefine鈥� the position of Hungary in the alliance to prevent any participation in operations 鈥渙utside NATO territory,鈥� claiming that his lawyers were already working on it.
鈥淓ven though Orban鈥檚 government has come into conflict with NATO before by blocking deeper partnership between NATO and Ukraine, it has always regarded the alliance as the cornerstone of Hungarian security,鈥� she told AFP.
His remarks on the alliance 鈥渂roke a taboo,鈥� propelling the government鈥檚 鈥渨hole war discourse into a new dimension,鈥� Vegh explained.
Moreover, the ramped up rhetoric could risk 鈥渇urther deteriorating the already weakened confidence鈥� in Hungary among Western allies, she said.
According to the polls, Orban鈥檚 focus on hammering home his 鈥渁nti-war鈥� talking points so far seem to have been working.
But Orban has faced rare public anger, including from government insider turned rising opposition leader Peter Magyar, who railed against the premier鈥檚 system of power and has amassed thousands of supporters.
Magyar 鈥� who recently launched his TISZA party 鈥� shot to prominence in February on the back of a scandal that hit Orban, posing the most serious challenge in his 14 years in power.
The ruling Fidesz party 鈥渘eeds to demonstrate its strength because Magyar鈥檚 party has managed to draw crowds in a way that political parties other than Fidesz have not managed to do for a long, long time,鈥� analyst Zoltan Ranschburg told AFP.