Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is vowing to rid his country of foreign-funded groups, calling them a “shadow army” serving the European Union and a “liberal American empire.”

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban pledged on Saturday to crack down on politicians and journalists who receive foreign funding and again ruled out EU membership for Ukraine, stepping up his campaign for elections due in a year.

The right-wing populist prime minister has stepped up his attacks on critics, largely journalists and civil society organizations, since US President Donald Trump entered office.

This photo released by the Hungarian Prime Minister's Press Office shows Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaking on the occasion of Hungary's national holiday in Budapest, Hungary, March. 15, 2025. (Vivien Cher Benko/MTI via Xinhua)

Tens of thousands rallied in Budapest against Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Saturday, waving the national flag as the leader of the surging opposition Tisza party pledged to make Hungary part of a strong Europe and end Orban's 15-year rule.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has promised to rid his country of those he believes are working for the interests of foreign nations. He stated that his right-wing government would dismantle a global "shadow army" serving the European Union and the "liberal American empire,

Hungary’s populist prime minister on Saturday vowed to rid his country of those he claims work for the interests of foreign powers, saying his right-wing government will eliminate a global “shadow army” serving the European Union and a “liberal American empire.