It has been nearly a month since Viktor Orbán visited Kyiv for discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, marking the commencement of his peace mission. Following this, the Hungarian Prime Minister travelled to Moscow, Beijing, and Washington, concluding his tour at the Mar-a-Lago residence of former US President and current Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump. Prime Minister Orbán’s primary objective in these discussions was to assess the current state of the conflict, understand the perspectives of the warring parties regarding the future, and evaluate the likelihood of achieving a ceasefire and a potential peace agreement.
One would expect that all rational individuals—especially world leaders—would agree with this ambition, encourage it, and even assist Orbán, so he does not have to undertake such a large-scale task alone. However, common sense and the leadership of the European Union have not gone hand in hand for a long time.
Since the beginning of the peace mission, Brussels has been preoccupied with how to punish Viktor Orbán for ‘pretending to represent an EU position’ in these negotiations ‘without the EU’s mandate’ as the ‘rotating president of the EU’. Nevertheless, this wasn’t the case, since various government officials have repeatedly stated that Orbán participated in these negotiations solely in his capacity as the Prime Minister of Hungary, though it often feels like talking to a wall. But they will continue to reiterate this point as often as necessary, hoping it will eventually be understood.
The EU leadership, including European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Representative Josep Borrell, united in their attack on Orbán and Hungary. In the mainstream liberal press, there is a steady stream of articles discussing potential punishments for Hungary. Proposals have been circulating in various forums in recent weeks, including revoking Hungary’s voting rights in EU decision-making and cancelling its rotating EU presidency. Ultimately, Ursula von der Leyen issued a directive: she called on her Commissioners to boycott the informal ministerial meetings of the Hungarian EU Presidency.
But that’s not all. Josep Borrell, who, along with Charles Michel, has just over three months left in his mandate, announced after the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 22 July that the informal meeting of EU foreign and defence ministers at the end of August will be held in Brussels instead of Budapest. This meeting is traditionally hosted by the Member State holding the rotating Presidency. Mr Borrell accused Orbán of ‘disloyalty’ and expressed outrage over a speech delivered to the UN Security Council by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, who labelled the EU as pro-war. After all,
what else can be said of those who punish a country for embarking on a peace mission?
So, this is Brussels’ cruel ‘revenge’: the venue for the informal meeting of foreign ministers has been moved. ‘Preschooler level,’ commented Péter Szijjártó on Borrell’s decision. We could not agree more with the Hungarian FM. What the EU leaders have been doing for the past month under the guise of ‘politics’ resembles little children fighting on a playground. And Hungary is not the one to blame.
While EU leaders engage in a childish vendetta against Hungary, our neighbour has been embroiled in a bloody war for more than two years. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, civilians, women, and children have died in the fighting. According to the most realistic reports, despite Western aid and weapons, Ukraine has very little chance of regaining its territory. Indeed, the likelihood appears slim. Increasingly, the scenario of Russia slowly overwhelming the defending troops in its war of attrition seems to be unfolding.
In these two years and more, Brussels has done nothing to advance peace. In fact, it has completely severed communication channels with Russia while consistently discrediting and attempting to silence voices advocating for peace. These voices, however, are growing louder. The vast majority of the international community, including Beijing and the Global South, are calling for peace, although this sentiment is less apparent within the transatlantic opinion bubble. Nonetheless, the winds of change are already blowing.
In November, the United States will hold a presidential election, which Republican candidate Donald Trump has a very good chance of winning. This is especially true after current President Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy on Sunday, leaving Trump’s opponent yet to be determined. The former Republican president is committed to peace, and his election victory could help advance a settlement in Ukraine.
However, November is still a long way off, especially when measured in terms of the lives of civilians who are victims of the war in Ukraine every day—for them, November seems like an eternity away. This could be an opportunity for the European Union to finally regain its former dignity and respect by taking independent action to guarantee its own security, in this case by promoting peace.
However, this is not the case. Brussels, along with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, is currently preoccupied with whether an informal meeting of no significance should be held in Budapest, Brussels, or possibly Kyiv. All this is done to exact revenge on the only European leader who is actually doing something for peace. The EU leadership is currently characterized by
unbelievable pettiness, hypocrisy, and infantilism.
But no problem. Hungary, under the leadership of Viktor Orbán and his government, will continue to champion the cause of peace, utilising the next six months of its presidency to advance this mission. Petty acts of revenge are meaningless; true dedication to a goal means remaining undeterred by such trivialities. Hungary will steadfastly advocate for peace, not only to save lives but also to protect Europe from further declines in competitiveness and economic performance, which are being exacerbated by the misguided decisions made by Brussels in response to the war in Ukraine.
Hungary will persist in its efforts, even in the face of Ukraine’s effective sabotage of the energy security of two EU Member States—Hungary and Slovakia—by halting Russian oil shipments through its territory. Predictably, Brussels remained silent on this matter.
Péter Szijjártó’s reaction to Borrell’s plan demonstrate what a serious political attitude looks like, a quality that is increasingly rare in Europe. He stated: ‘If the High Representative convenes the meeting in Budapest, we will be very happy to welcome our foreign minister colleagues with the appropriate Hungarian hospitality. And if the High Representative decides that he does not want to convene this meeting in Budapest but in Brussels, then I will come and the meeting will be held in Brussels.’
Rather than constantly discrediting and lecturing Hungary, Brussels could learn a lot from members of the Hungarian government on how to conduct politics, even in tough times: with determination, perseverance, and commitment, not childish vindictiveness.
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