EU attacks Hungary over Orban’s rogue Ukraine international ties

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Update with comments by EU diplomats on meeting with the Hungarian Ambassador

Hungary joined almost all other EU countries on Wednesday in anger over Prime Minister Viktor Orban taking a solo diplomatic move on Ukraine.

The ambassador next door lashed out at Budapest in a two-hour closed-door meeting in Brussels, with some diplomats saying Orbán’s initiative was inconsistent with Hungary’s recent retention of the rotating EU presidency.

Twenty-five of the bloc’s 27 countries expressed “widespread dissatisfaction or anger at the Hungarian presidency’s spiraling out of control,” following Orban making surprise trips in recent days to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin and nearby Chinese President Xi Jinping. , said an EU diplomat.

Hungary’s protestations that it was involved in bilateral exercises to understand possible conditions for a Ukraine-Russia ceasefire were “not credible given the timing and sequence of the meeting,” another diplomat told AFP.

Orbán launched his initiative on July 1 – when his country took over the EU presidency for six months – with an advice from Kiev to see President Volodymyr Zelensky. He miraculously reached Moscow on Friday and close to Beijing on Monday.

Even though Orbán said he rejected the EU’s mandate for his initiative, he carried out his self-described “peace mission” by using the brand and hashtag of Hungary’s EU presidency, and Putin. reportedly welcomed him as a political candidate representing the block.

Hungarian International Minister János Bocca advised journalists in Brussels that Orbán had said that, if he is to play any role in facilitating resolution (of the conflict), it requires open channels of diplomatic communication with Russia. Will happen.

Orban, long a thorn in the EU’s side because of his government’s retreat from the bloc’s democratic principles and rule of law, came more than two years after Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Fearlessly made friends with the Kremlin.

One of the key diplomats noted that for Hungary to assume the EU presidency was to “lose any shred of confidence they have left”.

He said, “Orbán does not represent the EU or the member states. His actions are not serving the EU or peace. They play into the hands of Putin and his war project.”

“It was a clear yellow card for Hungary,” he said.

Another diplomat showed Hungary had received a fierce blow from all its EU allies – except Slovakia, whose ambassador did not discuss – but said progress had already been made to punish Budapest.

“No concrete measures were put on the table, and this included Poland, which put it on the agenda,” the diplomat noted.

But “it is also clear that if these actions continue, are repeated, it will be raised again”.

Orban, a populist leader who aims to align himself with Donald Trump in his bid for Hungary’s EU presidency to use the slogan “Make Europe Great Again”, has long pledged to support Ukraine through the bloc’s monetary, Doubts have been expressed about the assistance of political and armed forces.

He has repeatedly opposed or blocked EU consensus on measures to aid Kiev, keeping the channels clear of the heat with Putin.

In the next meeting with the Russian President, Orbán sent a letter to EU Council President Charles Michel saying that Putin “is clear of any ceasefire proposal that does not serve the hidden transfer and rearmament of Ukrainian forces”. .

Orbán said Putin also had “detailed plans” for what a “new European architecture” should look like after the end of the war, but his letter declined to provide details. Orbán mentioned that he wanted to pursue his solo project “next week”.

While previous European countries appeared resigned to continuing to chair the bloc’s ministerial meetings, with Hungary – the main role of the EU presidency – by the end of the era, there were some signs that they would give way to more youthful officials. You can trade in snubs by sending estimates, as did the maximum number of people in a single gathering in this demonstration.

Some diplomats described the low-ranking participation as a “boycott”.

In parallel with the presidency, Orbán has announced a far-right faction in the EU parliament to promote his anti-immigrant, Eurosceptic approach – Patriots for Europe, which on Monday joined France’s far-right national rally Marine. Joined Le Pen.

Parliament is delaying consensus by the leader of the EU presidency, pushing Orbán’s appearance back to sometime in September – apparently to focus on nominees for the European Commission after the elections, parliament officials said. To concentrate.