The populist framing of the Russia-Ukraine war by the Hungarian government: convergence or contestation in the EU

Abstract

This study examines how the Hungarian government frames the Russia-Ukraine War within the context of its relations with the European Union (EU) using discourse historical strand of critical discourse analysis (CDA). This study will also answer how the Hungarian government presents its own policy choices as if the will of the people in its dealings with the EU. The study will conduct an extensive qualitative frame analysis of political discourses produced by Hungarian government officials. Through this analysis, the current study contributes to the literature empirically and advances the debates revolving around crises leading to contestation between the EU and its member states. The performed analysis demonstrates that the war is communicated mainly through the ‘Hungarian (government) lenses’ of national security concerns and national economic interests, both constructed upon nationalist sentiments coupled with populist overtones, leading Hungary to contest the EU’s decisions and norms.