Yuri Kobzar21:03, 16.07.24
The President of the European Council was also forced to directly explain to Orban that he is not authorized to represent the EU on the world stage.
Hungary has found itself in “soft isolation” from European countries after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s scandalous tour of Moscow and Beijing, Politico writes .
In July, Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the EU Council, a status that gave Budapest the power to set the bloc’s agenda and hold a series of meetings with other European officials until the end of the year. But Orban immediately used the presidency for his own self-proclaimed “peacekeeping mission,” visiting Russia, China, and the United States (to meet Donald Trump).
Soft boycott
The Hungarian prime minister’s actions have outraged European allies, who have quietly begun to sabotage informal meetings on the EU agenda that Hungary hosts in Budapest. For example, on Tuesday, many EU countries did not send their ministers to a meeting of energy officials.
Estonia, Finland, Lithuania and Sweden have confirmed to Politico that they will not send their top ministers to such informal meetings in Budapest. Latvia and Slovenia have also said they are considering it or deciding on a case-by-case basis.
“Member states have significantly reduced their level of participation [in events organised by Hungary]. Hungary should not have been allowed to take over the presidency,” said a senior European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
An unnamed Estonian official told the publication that Orban had “abused” Hungary’s EU presidency with his tour and had thereby seriously damaged his country’s credibility in the eyes of other member states.
“Hungary’s actions during the presidency are harmful and must have consequences,” said Sweden’s EU Minister Jessica Roswall.
A group of members of the European Parliament even called for the EU to strip Hungary of its voting rights, arguing that Orban “has already caused significant damage by using and abusing his role as President of the EU Council.”
Orban was told that he had jumped above his head
According to the Financial Times , the President of the Council of the European Union, Charles Michel, was forced to write a letter to Viktor Orban, in which he explained that the Hungarian prime minister does not have the authority to represent the European Union on the world stage.
“The rotating Presidency of the Council has no role in representing the Union on the international stage and has not received a mandate from the European Council to participate on behalf of the Union,” Charles Michel wrote in a letter to Orban, seen by the newspaper.
In the letter, Michel also rejected Orban’s claims that the EU has so far pursued a “military policy” in Ukraine.
“It is quite the opposite. Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim exercising its legitimate right to self-defense,” Michel wrote in a letter to Orban, adding that “no discussion about Ukraine can take place without Ukraine.”
Orban’s diplomatic tour
As UNIAN reported, on July 2, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Kyiv, which was the first stop of his big tour. At a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, he put forward a proposal to immediately begin negotiations with the Russian Federation, but received a logical refusal .
On July 5, Orban traveled to Moscow to discuss with Putin his vision of the war in Ukraine. The visit was immediately criticized in the EU .
On July 8, Orban met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. This trip, like previous ones, was presented under the guise of Hungary’s peace efforts.
After that, Orban flew to Washington, where the official NATO summit was taking place. There he held a number of meetings, including with Donald Trump , who does not yet hold any government office. And at that meeting he also discussed “peace in Ukraine.”
(C)UNIAN 2024
“…visiting Russia, China, and the United States (to meet Donald Trump).”
Politico is showing their true colors again. Besides meeting with Trump he was also in the USA for the NATO summit. Just a piece of fact that might help inform their readers instead of feeding their hate and ignorance…
The hungarian toad still saw the orange fascist instead of the POTUS, like any normal leader would do.
Soft isolation is fitting for a bag of marshmallows.
I have seen the TV Interview of Orban in WeltvTV. These hungarian think he would be clever by argumenting his thesis that freedom and peace is the the most motivating force for him and that only hungarians are understanding the russian way to behave. He said, the west have reasons to to so and did never understand russia and ukraine did not understand too. But he, the magyar, understand very well the russians…. and therefore he decided to be the keen diplomatic travelling around.
He build his own reality and he exclamate completely the ten of thousands dead in Ukraine, the endless devastation of complete regions. He exclamates that russia has performed the brutal act of going into an souvereign country, last but not least to start to create Putins great russia.
After that hour of interview it was obviously for me, that Orban has created “his” truth and that he staged up itself, to make peace. A peace of the graveyards, while russia can relax, stack up his military force and comes back in approx. 5 years. And then? If Ukraine is besieged and enslaved, Putler comes to the Marshmellow Diplomat, with Tanks. Orban has nothing understood.
For shure, no one of us wants war, but we all have to start fight if this worst of military machine of murderers rollup to us countries. EU is also still sleeping and thinking, oh, Ukraine is a regional war drama. But for shure, Putler will not stop after Lviv or Moldawia. His sick dream is more great.
So what we have is an EU who has until now not realized that NOW all support should be given to make Ukraine success and free and also the little Pörkölt Diplomat who think he is key.
Even after experience with Hitler Deutschland, it should be very clear that it is urgent necessary that an ally should created to bring that Kremlin monster down. If a big house is on fire; would you come with a little teapot of water??
We have too many fearful rabbits in EU and specially germany. Once Hitlerdeutschland has brought so many dead and pain in Ukraine, now it should stand strong with Ukraine. But for that we have failed generation of politicians, no bones. As far, the Orban with his human asset to bring peace ( who not would love peace) is one of those who have nice idea but in result makes things more worse ever.