IN SHORT:
A week after the meeting between Orbán and Putin, the same message about the ceasefire in Ukraine was repeated by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peters Szijártó, while attending a security conference in Belarus, which was not attended by the leaders of other Western countries.
He thanked for the invitation, but at the same time he was aware that if he attended the event in Minsk, he would be criticized in parts of Europe. However, Szijártó is convinced that the conflict in Ukraine cannot be resolved on the battlefield: “We Hungarians do not want more people to die. And we do not want further damage to occur. That is why we Hungarians want peace. Peace as soon as possible.”
The announced participation in the conference was welcomed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, calling his Hungarian colleague a “friend”.
Both Lavrov and other conference participants spoke about the need to use existing institutions as a counterweight to the West for the security of all of Eurasia, such as the Russian-Belarus Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Arab League, and others. The opening session of the conference was closed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Muhamad Hassan Sheikholeslami. It is Iran that is currently providing Russia with drones for the war in Ukraine and has been supplying the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas for a long time.
The former ambassador of Latvia in Budapest, now the adviser to the Minister of Defense, Imants Lieģis, noted that much of what the Hungarian leaders said was intended for the Hungarian public, and he explained the country’s still friendly relations with Russia mainly with economic interests:
“Orbán prioritizes the economic interests of his country rather than taking such a moral stance.”
Liegis noted that after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, Hungary chose not to sever business ties with Moscow. This is related to both oil and gas supplies and the repair of the nuclear power plant built in the Soviet years, the implementation of which is entrusted to Russia.
At the same time, Hungary’s foreign policy is also determined by relations with Brussels and Kyiv. Hungary shows concern for its compatriots in Ukraine, who, as Orbán said, are also dying in the war. In addition, Budapest has not been satisfied with Kyiv’s decision to include the Hungarian bank OTP, which continues to work in Russia, on the list of war supporters. In September, the Ukrainians delisted the bank in the hope that the Hungarians would not block 500 million euros worth of military aid to Ukraine, but Hungary wants guarantees that the bank will not return to the blacklist. At the beginning of October, the news agency “Reuters” announced that in exchange for aid to Ukraine, Brussels is also considering disbursing funds reserved for Hungary, which were previously frozen due to various violations.
Liegis explained that the money withheld by Brussels “hits the pocket” of the Hungarians and it is one weapon that can still be used to soften the Hungarians’ critical stance on Ukraine.
Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán has so far been swimming against the current in the EU when it comes to helping Ukraine. Now he has been joined by the new Slovak Prime Minister, Robert Fico, who promised to end military aid to Ukraine before the elections. He does not intend to withdraw from this commitment. “Yes, we are ready to help, but not militarily, because I do not believe that the conflict in Ukraine can be resolved militarily,” Fico told reporters during the last European Council.
Michal Ovadek, a Slovak-born lecturer at University College London, agreed that Fico’s rise to power is not good news for Ukraine, but he is not sure how much more damage Fico can do.
“I think he [Fico] will try to squeeze some concessions from European Union partners in exchange for his support for sanctions.
But he also said after the European Council that he was not completely against increasing the European Union’s aid to Ukraine, he only added that Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Therefore, I think that his position on foreign policy issues is still quite pragmatic,” Ovadek believes.
True, in order to continue providing financial support to Ukraine, EU countries must unanimously agree on amending the multi-year budget. They want to include 50 billion euros in aid to Ukraine in the form of both loans and grants. Hungarian Prime Minister Orbans has again clearly opposed the offer. The multi-year budget amendments are expected to be adopted by the end of the year.
The position of the Hungarian and Slovak governments on the Ukraine issue, and especially the desire of the Budapest leaders to attend dubious events in the current war in Ukraine, should also be evaluated in the context of NATO security, as membership in the organization requires mutual trust among the member states. True, for example, it is possible to limit the exchange of intelligence information within NATO and member states do not share everything and everyone.
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2023-11-05 18:34:48
#proKremlin #tandem #Orban #Fico
