Four days after the start of his presidency, he traveled to Moscow on a “peace mission” and visited Russian President Vladimir Putin without coordination with the EU and NATO.
Three days earlier, he had paid his first bilateral visit to Kyiv. No one there had known about Orban’s planned visit to Russia either.
‘Warmongering West’ to blame for war in Ukraine
This trip to Moscow caused an uproar as Hungary has practically no international diplomatic clout. Furthermore, Budapest is not an acceptable mediator, at least not for Ukraine, due to its anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian stance.
Even within NATO, Hungary is no longer considered a reliable partner due to its pro-Russian stance.
Nevertheless, Orban has so far continued his “peace mission” undeterred.
Just a few days ago, following a phone call with Putin, he proposed a “Christmas ceasefire” and a major prisoner exchange. Orban’s talks with Putin came with accusations against the “warmongering West,” the real culprit behind Russia’s war according to Orban.
At the same time, however, he has repeatedly praised former and future US President Donald Trump as a “man of peace” and the “only one on the planet” capable of ending the war in Ukraine.
MEGA: ‘Make Europe Great Again’
The Hungarian prime minister also launched a second important project right at the start of his EU Council presidency. Echoing Trump’s claim to “Make America Great Again”, or MAGA, it bears the name “Make Europe Great Again.”
It entails the founding of the right-wing nationalist-populist group Patriots for Europe in the European Parliament, which since the EU elections in June has become the third-largest group in the parliament.
The right-wing bloc in the European Parliament has become the third-largest forceImage: TOBIAS STEINMAURER/APA/picturedesk.com/picture alliance
It has gathered the most important European right-wing populists as members, including Orban’s Fidesz, the French National Rally, the Dutch Freedom Party and the Austrian FPÖ. These global nationalists support anti-immigration and sovereigntist positions.
Orban himself speaks of the need to “conquer Brussels” to save Europe from decay and decline. In reality, however, Orban seems less and less interested in any kind of united Europe.
Criticism of ‘economic bloc formation’
Over the past few months, Orban has been promoting the concept of an “economic neutrality policy” for Hungary. The move goes beyond continuing the existing Hungarian economic “opening to the East” policy.
Orban has criticized the EU for its “economic bloc formation” and is convinced Europe cannot survive global competition in its current form. He sees Asia and the BRICS states — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa — as the future geopolitical centers and believes they, as the economically strongest, will set the rules.
While Orban constantly criticizes the West on a moral and ideological basis, he argues that Hungary, as a small country, should maintain good and ideology-free relations with the world’s power and economic centers, especially China and Russia.
Orban undeterred by anti-fascist protests in EU Parliament: DW’s Alexandra von Nahmen
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At the end of 2024, Hungary will hand over the presidency of the EU Council to Poland.
The country was a close political ally until voters decided to end the rule of their nationalist right-wing administration in autumn 2023. Now, relations between the two countries are currently at an all-time low.
The fact that Hungary and Poland are currently worlds apart was also evident at Christmas.
In a Christmas interview with the pro-government newspaper Magyar Nemzet, Orban described Russia’s Putin as “our correct partner.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was stunned and posted a reminder about Russia’s aggressive acts on X, formerly Twitter. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Russia bombed residential buildings in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and energy facilities throughout Ukraine with dozens of missiles and drones.
This article was originally written in German.
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Publish date : 2024-12-28 08:38:00
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