Orbán, Kobakhidze Praise One Another as ‘Bravest’ Leaders in Europe
At CPAC, Hungary, Orbán and Kobakhidze praised one another as the similarities in their messaging on Ukraine and Brussels were hard to miss.
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Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze used his appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Hungary to praise Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his “courageous struggle against Brussels” and his “steadfast support of Georgia.” He calling Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary election a watershed moment not only for Hungary but for Europe.
Orbán, taking the stage shortly afterward, returned the praise, calling Kobakhidze a “patriotic champion,” accusing the EU and liberals of trying to undermine Georgia, and declaring that “the bravest nation in Europe today is the Georgian nation.”
Ukraine has become one of the central targets of Orbán’s re-election campaign. Rather than focusing on domestic issues or disputes with Brussels, the right-wing Fidesz party has increasingly tried to turn the April 12 parliamentary election into an emotional contest over war, peace, and national survival, with President Volodymyr Zelensky cast almost as one of Orbán’s main political foils.
Orbán has repeatedly argued that Ukraine cannot win the war and that continued Western support only prolongs the suffering. He has used that argument to justify Hungary staying out of “other people’s wars” and to portray himself as the sole guarantor of peace and economic stability.
A tribute to Lord Ashcroft for his leadership, example, and commitment to Ukraine
Russian-linked disinformation has also fed into that narrative, with videos circulated online pushing false claims that alleged threats to Orbán were linked to Ukraine and Zelensky.
Similarly, in the run-up to the 2024 elections, the Georgian Dream party often spoke of outside forces trying to drag Georgia into war. After the vote, the same message was used to cast protests as a color revolution attempt backed from abroad to destabilize the country.
In late 2024, Georgian Dream launched a controversial billboard campaign featuring black-and-white images of destroyed Ukrainian cities next to color images of peaceful Georgian buildings under the slogan: “No to war, choose peace.”
Both governments have presented the war not as a fight for freedom and survival, but as a dangerous trap set by the West, arguing for a softer approach toward Moscow in the name of “pragmatic peace.”
Color revolution playbook
Analysts increasingly see Orbán’s campaign as resembling the playbook used by Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, to the point that some describe it as the “Orbánization” of Georgia – or, from the other side – the “Georgianization” of Hungary.
At the center of that overlap is the “color revolution” narrative, in which uprisings such as Georgia’s 2003 Rose Revolution and Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution are portrayed not as genuine grassroots movements, but as Western-backed regime-change operations.
Both the Georgian Dream leadership and Orbán’s government use that idea to argue that the West is trying to interfere in their countries. In Georgia, leaders including Kobakhidze and party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili often spoke about a so-called “Global War Party” – an alleged Western force they say wants to open a “second front” against Russia in Georgia. In this narrative, protests and opposition activity are presented not as normal democratic politics, but as part of a foreign-backed effort to weaken the government.
In Hungary, Orbán has pushed a similar message. Even though Hungary has not had a classic color revolution, he has long portrayed protests, pressure from Brussels, and activism by foreign-funded groups as outside interference aimed at replacing his government with a more pro-Western one.
NGOs and ‘foreign agents’
Another shared target is civil society. Both governments say NGOs, foreign-funded media, and activist groups can be used by outside forces to interfere in politics.
That thinking has led to similar laws. In Georgia, the ruling party passed the foreign influence law targeting NGOs and media that receive funding from abroad, which critics called a “Russian law” because it resembled Kremlin-style restrictions on civil society. In Hungary, Orbán’s government pushed its own sovereignty-focused law, arguing that foreign interests were using local groups to undermine the state.
In both cases, the justification is nearly identical: foreign powers are allegedly using civil society to trigger unrest, weaken national sovereignty, and prepare the ground for regime change.
Since winning the 2024 election, Georgian Dream has effectively put Georgia’s EU path on hold by suspending accession talks until 2028. As Georgia drifts further from Brussels, it remains to be seen whether that trajectory will gain another ally, depending on the outcome of Orbán’s April 12, 2026 reelection bid.
Sevinj Osmanqizi is a journalist covering US foreign policy, security, and geopolitics, with a focus on the broader post-Soviet space. She reports on Washington’s decision-making and its implications for Ukraine and regional stability.
