Relations between Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Donald Tusk in Poland are deepening into an open conflict over both EU influence and the war in Ukraine. Orbán argues that the Tusk problem goes far beyond bilateral disagreements — it's about Poland being given the role of Brussels' vassal state.
The Hungarian Prime Minister claims that Poland under Tusk has taken a dramatic step toward losing national autonomy and has also become a "vassal of Brussels".
"He has become one of the loudest warmongers in Europe – yet his war policy is failing: Ukraine is running out of European money, and the Polish people are tired of the war. He cannot change course because he has turned Poland into a vassal of Brussels", Orbán writes in a post on X.
Beyond the war in Ukraine, questions about the EU's role are also central to the conflict. Orbán has previously accused Brussels of playing an active role in helping Donald Tusk's EU-friendly government come to power in Poland.
Donald Tusk has in turn criticized Orbán for viewing "Brussels, democracy and a transparent rule of law are a problem", an attack that has further escalated tensions between the countries.
Shift in Polish public opinion
According to an opinion poll from the IBRiS institute, currently only 33.5 percent of Poles support Ukraine's NATO membership. This represents a shift that leads Orbán to claim that Europe is waking up, and that Polish public support for Ukraine is declining.
Donald Tusk, however, has declared the war in Ukraine as "our war", referring to the fact that the future of Poland and Europe is at stake. Orbán responds that both Poland and the EU are playing a dangerous game with the lives of millions of Europeans.
Hungary's repeated blocking of military support to Ukraine and its application for EU and NATO membership has long been a thorn in the side of Poland and other EU member states.
Poland and Hungary previously belonged to the so-called Visegrád Group (V4) and often shared positions against Brussels. But as the war in Ukraine progressed and major strategic dividing lines emerged, the relationship has become strained.
While Tusk strives to gain increased influence for Poland within the EU and NATO, Orbán has made it clear that he wants to see a different kind of European order — where nation-states have greater freedom and Brussels' central power is questioned.
