US trolls Hungary, the most pro-Russian EU state, reminding its leaders they are supposed to be allies with the West

A man passes by a poster that "We are being punished by the Brussels sanctions", in Budapest on October 18, 2022. Hungary's leaders have objected to the severity of EU measures against Russia.

FERENC ISZA/AFP via Getty Images

• The US called out Hungary stance on the invasion of Ukraine, which has been softer than many nations.
• The US embassy reminded the EU and NATO member that the US and Hungary are supposed to be allies.
• It shared a joke quiz highlighting how so many Hungarian officials made anti-West statements.

The US embassy in Hungary trolled the country over its soft response to Russia, reminding the EU and NATO member that the US and Hungary are supposed to be allies.

The US Embassy in Budapest shared a video of a joke quiz on Monday that let people guess whether statements came from Russian President Vladimir Putin or from Hungarian officials.

—US Embassy Budapest (@usembbudapest) October 17, 2022

It wrote alongside the video: "In recent weeks, several senior Hungarian government figures and government-funded commentators have made harsh anti-Western and anti-American statements. Hungary and the United States are Allies."

"As Russian aggression threatens us all, we must stand together, not move apart."

The questions included one that said "The United States has attacked the European Union. Our response should be that we will put our gloves, and we go to war against America."

Viewers were then asked to guess if the comment came from the editor of a media outlet that gets government funding, or Putin.

The comment was made by the editor, the embassy said.

Hungary has been the EU member least critical of Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February.

Its far-right leader Viktor Orbán, who is popular with former US President Donald Trump and Fox News host Tucker Carlson, said he condemned Russia's invasion.

But he been repeatedly criticized by Ukraine, the US, and EU for not taking actions to back it up.

As EU countries repeatedly sanctioned Russia, Orbán denounced that approach.

He said in September that the EU should scrap its sanctions, and earlier in the year blamed them for the EU's energy-supply crisis.

Orbán has long been an ally of Putin, and he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy one of his "opponents" when he was reelected to a fourth term in April, two months after the invasion began.

The embassy's quiz, which asked seven questions, was seemingly inspired by a similar questionnaire that the Hungarian government is giving to citizens, the BBC reported.

The pamphlet featured loaded questions seemingly designed to demonstrate public support for Hungary's anti-EU stance, the BBC noted.

One question was: "Household utility bills across Europe have risen to record levels. In response to the sanctions, Russia is threatening to cut off gas supplies. This is endangering supplies for home heating and the viability of the European economy."

"Do you agree with the sanctions on natural gas supplies? Yes or No."

The campaign also involved a government poster that describes EU sanctions as bombs falling on Hungary.

It says "We are being punished by the Brussels sanctions," sparking criticism from the EU commission.

Separately, the EU parliament voted last month to declare Hungary no longer a democracy, rebuking the country for the steady erosion of its political opposition, independent judiciary, and approach to academic freedom.

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