‘To suggest swapping Hungary for Ukraine simply because the Hungarian government does not fall in line on critical issues and instead maintains a consistent, principled position is not only impossible but reckless. It would trigger a series of developments that could ultimately lead to the EU’s collapse—a risk that already looms large.’
‘The defence of democracy, human rights, and sovereignty cannot be contingent on political expediency or the geopolitical convenience of targeting smaller or less powerful states. A genuinely united Europe must demonstrate a consistent and impartial commitment to its principles, respecting the agency of all member states.’
‘If Brussels clings to this policy [on Ukraine], Europe will further weaken itself and become increasingly irrelevant on the global stage,’ State Secretary of the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister Balázs Hidvéghi warned in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.
Tamás Menczer has warned in a Facebook post that due to military aid to Ukraine ‘the war has already cost every Hungarian family 2.5 million HUF, and Ukraine’s EU membership would cost millions more for each and every family’. The Hungarian government remains in stark opposition to having Ukraine become an EU Member State.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are set to hold talks on Tuesday over a potential ceasefire deal between Ukraine and Russia, which Kyiv has already accepted, while Moscow remains cautious. As peace talks progress, the positions of the involved parties are shifting rapidly: Ukraine no longer views the lifting of Western sanctions on Russia as a red line, and some European leaders are now openly discussing the normalization of relations with Moscow.
‘The final assessment in terms of the policy of appeasement would be that at the diplomatic and political level, the allies did indeed achieve their goals of buying time, mobilizing, as well as isolating Germany in the first months of the war from either Japan or Italy. They made Germany dependent on Soviet resources to sustain short-term operations, and pushed its economy on the brink of collapse.’
Speaking before the parliament of Republika Sprksa, President Milorad Dodik announced a new constitution aimed at increasing the entity’s independence from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s federal institutions and the high representative. In his speech, Dodik also declared a ‘war for the future’ of Republika Srpska.
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó pointed out that the sudden shift of EU leaders on a potential ceasefire in Ukraine is ‘politically ridiculous’ and highlights their lack of credibility. However, it also raises the question of responsibility for Brussels’ failed strategy over the past three years.
‘This move makes a lot of sense to me. Germany has embraced radical leftist policies that weaken Western security and they support the continued war between Russia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, Hungary stands for protecting borders, projecting strength, and traditional values,’ Bryan Leib wrote on X in response to reports that President Trump is considering relocating the 35,000 US soldiers stationed in Germany.
The EU is increasing its number of peacekeepers stationed in Bosnia and Herzegovina as tensions rise at an alarming pace in the Western Balkans. Sarajevo accuses Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik of undermining the country’s constitution following a series of legislative moves after his conviction by a federal court last week. A close ally of Dodik, Viktor Orbán and Hungary now find themselves at the centre of these tensions, locked in a sharp diplomatic standoff with Bosnia.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.
