Europe’s desperate attempt to bring Hungary together in the Ukraine issue

Swiss “Tags Anseiger” newspaper wrote in an article about this: The Prime Minister of Hungary recently threatened to block the European Union’s policy on Ukraine. EU Council President Charles Michel is now traveling to Budapest to stop Orban from doing so. But the question is how.

The article says: The European Union is used to having problems with Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary. Hungary’s prime minister in Budapest is usually only interested in EU rules if he can use them – such as his veto – to force the EU to make concessions. That’s why the words “Hungary” and “blackmail” are often used in the same sentence in Brussels.

On Monday, EU Council President Charles Michel will travel to Budapest to try It prevents Orban from such blackmails in the opinion of Brussels. This is an unusual and controversial journey. The situation is serious: a few days ago, Orban announced in a letter to Michel that he would veto the planned – and indeed long-finalized – decision to open accession talks between the EU and Ukraine at the EU summit in Brussels in mid-December. . Orban said the same applies to the decision on the EU’s 50 billion euros more in aid to Ukraine. does the job, it won’t just be a “victory for Russia”. This would destroy in an instant the unity that Europe has so carefully maintained in supporting Ukraine. The EU will then be paralyzed.

The big question in Brussels, which Michel will also examine in Budapest, is: how serious is Orbán? Are his veto threats a bargaining tool? Will he give his consent for more help to Kiev, as in the past? Or does the Hungarian prime minister really see an opportunity now to end EU support for Ukraine?

The recent election victories of right-wing populist leaders Robert Fico in Slovakia and Geert Wilders in the Netherlands show that resistance to this It is increasing in Europe. Both European officials entered their election campaigns and promised to stop giving money and weapons to Ukraine. These are the demands that Orban, who recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been making for a long time.

European diplomats are currently divided on Orban’s intentions. One of the employees of the European Union said about this: the probability that he will block Ukraine’s accession negotiations is about 90%. Another diplomat confirms that this time for Orban, it is not a matter of discussing the summit document, but more of the main issues. But some observers in Brussels are not so pessimistic. One of them says that Orban has walled himself in his corner. Now we just have to help him get out of his corner again.

There is room for negotiation, at least in theory. Orban calls for a “strategic debate” between EU heads of state on the whole of Brussels’ policy in Ukraine, from the effectiveness of sanctions against Russia to the delivery of more weapons and the speed of the accession process.

Read more : Of course, Hungary cannot expect that its call for an end to sanctions and arms deliveries will be widely shared in Europe. But in addition to Hungary, there are other EU countries that, despite the obvious political and economic problems, feel uneasy when they see how quickly Ukraine is entering the Union for purely geostrategic reasons.

However, it is an open secret in Brussels that Orban will only agree to €50 billion in new aid to Ukraine if the EU commission pays at least part of the €28 billion in subsidies that the country is facing due to corruption charges and legal problems. Not received, release. However, the decision on this matter is with the Commission, not with the heads of states and governments.

As another condition for yes to continue helping Ukraine, Orban announced that the current head of the European Union Commission , Ursula von der Leyen, whom he hates, not to be re-nominated by the European Council after the European elections in the summer of 2024. Orban cannot achieve this alone in the committee. It’s questionable whether the other 26 EU governments want to allow themselves to be blackmailed by Hungary on this personnel issue – but that doesn’t mean Orbán isn’t trying. A European diplomat spoke of a challenging December ahead of Europe.

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