Orban seeks to shore up domestic support after Trump-Putin summit cancelled

Tens of thousands of Viktor Orban supporters marched in Budapest on Thursday to show support for the nationalist premier on a key Hungarian anniversary, as he faces the most acute threat to his 15-year rule from a pro-EU opposition party ahead of 2026 elections.

The commemoration of Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet uprising that was crushed by the Red Army comes at a delicate time for Orban, who has opposed the EU's policy of providing military aid to Ukraine against Russia's invasion, and has also kept good ties with the Kremlin despite the rest of the EU seeking to isolate Moscow.

Orban, a long-time Trump ally, who has campaigned on wanting peace in Ukraine for years without saying at what price for its neighbour, was also pinning great hopes on a flagged summit in Budapest between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But late on Wednesday Trump cancelled the summit citing a lack of progress in diplomatic efforts and a sense that the timing was off, and also slapped sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies, in an effort to starve Moscow of vital revenues. Hungary is heavily reliant on Russian crude and it was not immediately clear whether the US measures would affect its oil supply. The government did not reply to emailed Reuters questions.

Orban, who will address the rally at 1100 GMT, said earlier on Thursday that the "day of the Budapest Peace March has come".

"Today we send a message to the whole world: Hungary says NO to war! We will not die for Ukraine. We will not send our children to the slaughterhouse at Brussels’ command," Orban tweeted on social media.

As his supporters marched over the Danube - on a day when the European Union holds a summit in Brussels - with a banner saying "We do not want to die for Ukraine", some participants said protecting Hungary's sovereignty was paramount.

"Hungary's sovereignty is under threat today from several directions, as for myself, I think the biggest threat comes from the imperial aspirations of the European Union," said Andras Kozak in the crowd.

Orban faces elections likely in April 2026, and the new centre-right, pro-EU Tisza party of Peter Magyar, a former government insider, leads most opinion polls. Magyar will address an opposition rally in Budapest later in the day.

Magyar has accused Orban of running an increasingly authoritarian and corrupt government. The government has denied such allegations but Magyar has tapped into voter frustrations with Orban, especially as the economy is just barely growing after an inflation shock.