Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has shot down recent claims suggesting Budapest is planning a dramatic departure from the European Union. The accusation came from Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk, who implied that Orbán was openly floating the idea of quitting the EU—a notion the Hungarian leader quickly dismissed as pure fiction.
“Keep your hopes in check, Donald—Hungary isn’t going anywhere,” Orbán fired back on X (formerly Twitter), in a direct response to Tusk’s viral post. “We’re not leaving the EU. We’re going to rebuild it with the Patriots for Europe alliance and bring it back to the vision we all signed up for when Poland and Hungary first joined.”
Tusk’s original post warned voters that Orbán’s stance hinted at a looming “Huxit” and invoked a political ghost from the past, citing Jarosław Kaczyński’s old ambition for “Budapest in Warsaw.” The Polish liberal leader used the moment to rally his base ahead of Poland’s upcoming presidential election, claiming that keeping his party in power was essential to resisting what he described as radical nationalist contagion.
But Orbán wasn’t having it. Speaking at a recent public forum, he addressed the issue head-on, stressing that although he’s often at odds with Brussels, leaving the bloc simply doesn’t make sense. “It’s not reasonable to quit,” he told the crowd, reminding them of his full-throated support for EU membership during Hungary’s 2003 referendum.
With his characteristic humor, Orbán also shared that former U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly asked him when Hungary plans to ditch the EU. His tongue-in-cheek reply? “We’re waiting for a better offer.”
Beyond the jokes, Orbán pointed to serious economic reasons for staying in. The EU’s single market of 400 million consumers is vital to Hungary, especially since more than 85% of its exports go to fellow EU countries. But that doesn’t mean he’s satisfied with the status quo. Instead of pulling out, Orbán is doubling down on reform. Through his new European Parliament alliance, Patriots for Europe, he’s aiming to reshape the union from within—one where national sovereignty is respected and unelected technocrats take a back seat.
Tusk’s remarks didn’t just stir the pot in Hungary. They triggered backlash back home in Poland too. Lawmakers from the conservative PiS party accused him of fearmongering rather than offering real solutions for Europe’s challenges. Meanwhile, Konrad Berkowicz of the nationalist Confederation party slammed Tusk for “humiliating himself” and alienating influential European allies like Orbán.
With Poland’s presidential race just weeks away, Tusk’s comments may have been a political gambit aimed at rallying pro-EU liberals. But Orbán’s swift and biting reply signals that Hungary’s path isn’t one of exit—it’s one of rebellion, aimed at taking back the EU from within.
