Hungary is seeking to create a Ukraine-skeptic alliance within the EU, aligning with political forces in Czechia and Slovakia. Pro-Russian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s inner circle is pushing to reshape regional cooperation in a way that could stall Brussels’ support for Ukraine, Politico reports.

Hungary aims to form anti-Ukraine alliance with Czechia and Slovakia

Orbán is working to form a political bloc inside the EU with Czechia and Slovakia, according to his political director Balázs Orbán. The plan involves cooperation with Czech populist leader Andrej Babiš and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, both of whom have expressed skepticism over continued European aid to Ukraine.

The political director told Politico the group would aim to coordinate ahead of EU Council summits and potentially act as a joint force to shape the bloc’s position. While the alliance remains informal for now, Hungary hopes it will grow stronger over time.

Echoes of the past: from the Visegrád 4 to a new V3

This would not be the first time such an alliance emerged in Central Europe. During the 2015 migration crisis, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland formed the so-called Visegrád 4 (V4), opposing mandatory relocation of migrants and promoting hardline border policies. At the time, the alliance was led by then-Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and coordinated closely on social and migration issues.

But after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the group fractured. Poland became a key backer of Ukraine, while Hungary took the opposite stance. The potential new formation would exclude Poland, whose current Prime Minister Donald Tusk strongly supports Ukraine.

Instead, Hungary is looking to Fico and Babiš, who have both called for negotiations with Moscow and questioned sanctions against Russia. Still, concrete steps remain limited. Fico, re-elected in 2023, has not formally joined Orbán on any shared policies, and Babiš has yet to form a government after his recent election win.

Orbán’s ambitions reach beyond the Council

Balázs Orbán said Budapest aims to grow its influence in the European Parliament. Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party, part of the far-right Patriots for Europe group, is looking to build ties with other conservative or populist factions, including the European Conservatives and Reformists and the Europe of Sovereign Nations group. He also mentioned interest in “some leftist groups.”