Russian political scientist Vladimir Pastukhov comments on the Hungarian election:

Trump and Putin together lost to Europe.

"I dare not predict the long-term impact, but the immediate result will be a temporary sharp leftward shift in Europe. Orbán’s fall is too significant to be compensated by Fico alone.

Accordingly, relations between the United States under Trump and Europe will further deteriorate—despite already being dire.

…

Europe will soon launch a counterattack against Trump during the U.S. midterm elections in November.

By then, people will suddenly realize that Russia’s influence on the U.S. presidential election is far from the worst consequence."

This commentary by the Russian scholar must be interpreted against the backdrop of the setback faced by European right-wing populism, strained U.S.-Europe relations, and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Pastukhov’s core argument is that Orbán’s defeat in Hungary is not merely a loss for European right-wing forces, but also a shared defeat for Putin and Trump—and one that will trigger a chain reaction.

Why say "Putin and Trump jointly lost" the Orbán election?

Orbán was among the few leaders in the EU maintaining close ties with Putin, and also a European echo of Trump’s “America First” policy. His defeat signifies:

For Putin: losing a crucial vote within the EU capable of balancing support for Ukraine.

· For Trump: a symbolic setback for the nationalist, anti-Europe model he champions, undermining his narrative of a global right-wing wave.

Pastukhov implies that what is truly alarming is Europe’s collective, deliberate intervention in U.S. domestic politics—through political, economic, and even quasi-alliance mechanisms. This would completely shatter the traditional principle of non-interference between the U.S. and Europe, shifting transatlantic relations from “allied disagreements” toward “camp confrontation.” In the short term, this would pose a direct threat to Trump’s midterm elections.

This is a domino effect scenario: decline of European right-wing populism → move toward U.S.-Europe confrontation → Europe proactively intervening in American politics. While this resembles a thought experiment rather than a description of reality, it does not mean such an outcome cannot materialize.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862311825581056/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.