Analysis
Democratic Security
Europe’s Talent for Perseverance is Shaped in the East
16 October 2026
13 April 2023
For days, there has been huge speculation about possible American sanctions against Hungary. So far, only a Russian entity is involved – but it is more likely to be the beginning rather than the end of the story.
Since last summer, the Hungarian government has been claiming that American-Russian peace talks shall end the war in Ukraine. Around the same time, the propaganda machine launched a campaign claiming that US Democrats tried to interfere with Hungarian elections by funding the opposition. Then, Fidesz’s anti-sanctions campaign began, labelling the US and the EU as warmongers, a narrative which lives on to this day.
Last autumn, a new ambassador, David Pressman, arrived in Budapest and immediately got caught in the crossfire, with Orbán calling him the man who came to pressure us, with the pun fully intended.