Orbán surprise visit in Kyev to “discuss peace” with Zelensky
Magyar PM on first trip to Ukraine since Russian aggression began. Hungarian EU presidency "aims to address the most pressing challenges facing the Union," claims Budapest spokesman, while Orbán calls on Zelensky to "proclaim a ceasefire"
Brussels – It only took 24 hours at the helm of the rotating presidency of the EU for Viktor Orbán to embark on a journey to Kyiv for the first time since Russian aggression began in February 2022. The Hungarian prime minister, the weak link in Brussels’ unconditional support for Ukraine, met with Volodymyr Zelensky to “discuss peace in Europe,” as his spokesman, Zoltán Kovács, announced on X.
A visit “in line with EU decisions,” commented Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. David Pressman, the U.S. ambassador to Hungary, called it a “breakthrough” in relations between Kyiv and Budapest. Certainly, an unexpected visit from the most pro-Russian leader of the 27, who is stubbornly blocking some €6.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine through the European Peace Facility, after holding hostage for months the €50 billion from the EU Instrument for Macro-Financial Assistance to Kyiv.
Viktor Orban and Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference in Kyiv, 2/7/24 (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP)
“The talks will focus on the possibilities of reaching peace and current issues of bilateral relations between Hungary and Ukraine,” Kovács explained. According to The Guardian, Orbán’s visit to Zelensky was planned after the two countries reached an agreement on the issue of the rights of Magyar communities in Ukraine, who live across the border from Hungary.
The issue of the Hungarian minority was also the main justification for Budapest’s strenuous opposition to the start of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine.
The choice to travel to Kyiv one day before taking office as the six-month head of the EU Council is an important signal from Orbán. Commitment to Ukraine is one of the major concerns European leaders have signalled about the Hungarian presidency of the Union. Budapest “aims to address the most urgent challenges facing the Union, claimed spokesman Balázs Orbán. Although on the path to restoring peace in Ukraine, the Hungarian viewpoint diverges profoundly from that of the EU bloc, which starts from the assumption of the territorial integrity of the attacked country: in the joint press conference with Zelensky, Orbán declared that “Ukraine should proclaim a ceasefire and start negotiations with Russia.”
With his commitment to Ukraine, which Orbán called “the main issue of the next six months of Hungary’s EU presidency,” the sovereignist premier also sends a message to the European right in the midst of a political reconfiguration process. Orbán’s strongest ally in Europe, Giorgia Meloni, President of the European Conservatives and Reformists, is aligned with the bloc’s position of unconditional support to Kyiv. So much so that, after months of courtship, the ECR group has closed the door on Orbán’s party, Fidesz, which is still among the non-attached in the EU Parliament.
Now, the Hungarian prime minister has announced the formation of a new alliance, the “Patriots for Europe”, with the Czech populists of ANO (former members of the Liberals) and the Austrian nationalists of FPO (former members of the sovereignist group ID, the one of Marine Le Pen and the Lega). The Portuguese Chega has already joined the alliance, while the Lega winks. To create a group in the EU Parliament, however, Orbán needs the membership of parties from 7 member countries. A less extremist attitude toward Ukraine could attract other “patriots”, such as the pro-Ukrainian Poles of Law and Justice, at loggerheads with Fratelli d’Italia in ECR.
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