Hungary and the EU: Orban's divisive quest for influence
Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban wants to make Europe great, but instead, he divides it with the help of Vladimir Putin, the British daily The Times reported. Brussels reprimanded the Hungarian prime minister but weakly. The newspaper believes that it must more clearly declare that it does not support his position.
"The Hungarian leader promises that Europe will be great again, but instead he divides it," - wrote the daily on Monday, recalling the slogan of the Hungarian presidency in the EU Council, "Make Europe Great Again," which references Donald Trump's election slogan "Make America Great Again."
After Hungary assumed the six-month presidency of the EU Council on July 1, the "populist prime minister will have more than usual global exposure," noted the newspaper. "Orban believes that this temporary status allows him to play the role of a mediator in a troubled world," reads "The Times."
The head of the Hungarian government has been conducting a self-proclaimed "peace mission" in recent weeks, during which he visited Kyiv, Moscow, and Beijing. He also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during last week's NATO summit in Washington. After the conclusion of this session, he went to Florida to talk with Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the US presidency.
"The EU often allowed Orban to outplay it"
As "The Times" emphasized, Orban presents a "supposedly great peace plan to end the war in Ukraine". However, autocrats are not interested in mediation, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not ask the Hungarian prime minister for help.
The EU often allowed Orban to outplay it, and he is a veteran in this field. Now it has finally found a way to express its disapproval: through absence - noted the daily.
"Weak reprimand." What will Brussels do?
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen decided that commissioners would not go on the customary visit of the European Commission to Hungary, which has held the presidency in the EU since July, said EC spokesperson Eric Mamer on Monday. The boycott of the informal meeting of foreign ministers, scheduled to take place at the end of August in Budapest, is also being discussed. This meeting could also be organized in Brussels.
"This is a sort of reprimand, but a weak one, only emphasizing the EU's inability to rein in unruly member states. Brussels needs to say more clearly that it does not share Orban's position and is contrary to fair arrangements regarding Ukraine," evaluated "The Times."
"Hungary's leader wants to undermine the entire concept of a liberal Europe. His dark ally in this project is Vladimir Putin," concluded the British daily.
