Does Prime Minister Viktor Orban want to take Hungary out of the European Union? No, that's not true: Despite repeated criticism aimed at the EU and its leadership, in official statements Orban states that it is in Hungary's national interest to remain in the European Union, while seeking to reform it from the inside.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on November 27, 2023, with the caption (translated from Hungarian to English by Lead Stories staff):
Hungarians, be careful! Viktor Orbán winks at Russia! He wants to take the country out of the European Union. Are you waiting for this to happen? Something must be done!
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Nov 30 08:37:09 2023 UTC)
Speculation about a possible "HUXIT" or Hungarian exit from the EU, has circulated widely for years. The Hungarian government has strongly criticized EU policies, mainly on migration and the rule of law, but Orban has repeatedly stated that he wants Hungary to stay a member of the Union and reform it from the inside.
In a speech during the Fidesz party congress on November 18, 2023, he said:
It is in our interest that the union remains united. Let what was put together with great difficulty remain together. The union should not be abandoned, but changed, and this is only possible if there are radical changes in Brussels.
An article on Orban in the American Conservative magazine in January 2023 raised the question again of whether Orban wanted to leave the EU. The prime minister's press office responded by saying:
Nothing new was said, the Prime Minister has already made it clear many times: EU membership is not a wish, but Hungary's national interest.
