The majority of Hungarians condemn pro-war statements, the Századvég Institute said on Friday. Századvég cited Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as saying after a meeting of European Union leaders in February that “Hungary belongs in the pro-peace camp”. However, the government’s pro-peace position has attracted some international criticism, in an attempt to exercise pressure, the statement added. Századvég said that a survey prepared by interviewing 1,000 Hungarians in March showed that 56% disagreed with EU Vice-President Vera Jourová who recently said “Hungary must be called out more often, particularly about its positions on Russia and the war”.
Some 58% said they disagreed with US Ambassador David Pressman who reacted to Orbán’s call for ceasefire by stating that there was neither a “peace camp” nor a “war camp”, Századvég said. Seven out of 10 respondents in the survey opposed a recent call by EP President Roberta Metsola for EU countries to send more weapons to Ukraine and consider sending fighter jets, Századvég added.
The survey also assessed Hungarians’ views on what consequences such statements could have on the progress of the war. The majority of respondents, between 54% and 74%, said the above statements could result in the escalation of the conflict rather than promoting peace talks. “Hungarians’ pro-peace stand is unchanged and the majority reject proposals that carry the risk of making peace impossible,” Századvég said.