Viktor Orban’s trip to Kyiv was not planned and came as a surprise to many. The visit takes place the day after Hungary has taken over the presidency of the EU. According to Hungarian sources, the purpose of the meeting is to talk with Zelenskyi about peace between Russia and Ukraine. The two heads of state will also discuss the rights of the Hungarian minorities in Western Ukraine. After the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, heads of state have taken turns getting on the train to Kyiv. Hungary’s authoritarian leader has not been among these. While European countries have promised arms support to Ukraine, Orban has cultivated good relations with Russia’s leader. FRIENDS: During a meeting in Beijing last autumn, Putin told how important it is to maintain contact with Hungary in such difficult times. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP Russia’s friend in the EU Putin and Orban have met several times in recent years. During a meeting in Beijing last autumn, Putin told how important it is to maintain contact with Hungary in such difficult times. Orban has ruled the country for 14 years and introduced laws that make it increasingly difficult for the opposition to escape. Russia has had Putin as president for five terms. There, opposition politicians are harassed and imprisoned. Alexei Navalny is one of several who have been killed. Russia and Hungary are trading partners and economically linked to each other. While most European countries have worked to become independent of Russian gas and oil after 2022, Hungary still buys these commodities from the country that invaded Ukraine. Hungary has 10 million inhabitants and is the minor partner in the relationship. Nevertheless, the country is important to Russia, not least as a member of the EU. Orban has slowed EU aid packages to Ukraine and made it difficult for the EU to maintain sanctions against Russian companies and individuals. ANTI LGBT: Putin and Orban both condemn queer rights as bad Brussels inventions. Photo: Yves Herman / Reuters Both Putin and Orban like to be strong men who save their respective countries from moral decay. Both promote Christian values and condemn queer rights as bad Brussels inventions. Following a proposal from Hungary, the Patriarch of Moscow, Kiril, was not included on the EU’s sanctions list. Kiril is the head of the Orthodox Church in Russia and an important supporter of Putin. Orban’s coffee break gave Ukraine money Hungary does not send weapons to Ukraine. As a member of the EU, Orban has tried several times to stop the flow of money from Brussels to Kyiv. During a summit last December, the German chancellor asked if Orban could “go out and have a coffee break”. When Hungary’s prime minister was out of the room, the other EU countries could design an aid package of 50 billion euros for Ukraine. Orban vetoed this proposal for several weeks. In the end, it was finally voted through in February. But Orban’s “yes” always comes with a cost. Before approving the Ukraine package, he got the EU to agree to send money to Budapest. There is talk of funds to rebuild the country after the pandemic, these were withheld due to Hungary’s anti-LGBT laws. NEGOTIATIONS: When Hungary’s prime minister was out of the room, the other EU countries could design an aid package of 50 billion euros for Ukraine. Photo: JOHN THYS / AFP Orban has also opposed Ukraine becoming a member of the EU. At his last annual press conference, the prime minister said that membership for Ukraine “is not realistic for many, many years.” In order for new countries to become members, all EU countries must vote in favour. Minorities as bargaining chips Hungary and Ukraine share a border of 140 kilometers in the Carpathian mountains. There are many ethnic Hungarians living in Ukraine and many of these support Orban. The ethnic minority lives in the far west of the country, far from the front. The dissatisfaction with the war, which many of the Ukrainian Hungarians feel, is something that is exploited by the Hungarian state media. “Only Hungary supports us,” said the head of the Hungarian Language Institute in Ukraine, Ildikó Orosz, in a speech in Budapest. He claims that the minority’s demands to be able to maintain Hungarian language and culture are not heard in Kyiv. Hungary became a much smaller country when Austria-Hungary was dissolved after the First World War. This led to Hungarians living in several neighboring countries. The rights of minority Hungarians in Ukraine and the EU are an important issue for the nationalist Viktor Orban. He has previously said that Kyiv’s poor treatment of the ethnic Hungarians is the reason why Ukraine receives no weapons from Budapest. EU MEMBER?: The EU has also started formal talks with Ukraine and Moldova about making the countries EU members in the future. Photo: Ludovic MARIN / AFP Strong in the wheels for EU membership? Viktor Orban is known as a man who wants to strengthen Hungary’s position and who is not afraid to challenge the EU. Therefore, many within the union have been concerned that Hungary will hold the presidency of the EU in the coming six months. This means that Orban can set much of the agenda going forward. Hungary can call for meetings and set goals for what the union will work on. That is why the EU rushed to put in place a list of new sanctions against Russia in June, just before Hungary took over the leadership from Belgium. The EU has also begun formal talks with Ukraine and Moldova about making the countries EU members. When the EU countries last voted to open up Ukrainian membership, Hungary abstained from voting. The formal process of becoming a member of the EU will take several years and involves countless meetings. The extent to which Hungary will make this process even longer depends, among other things, on what Orban can get out of the talks with Zelenskyj. Hear more about President Zelensky’s search for support for Ukraine in the podcast Urix: Published 02.07.2024, at 18.45
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Putin’s friend, Orban, visits Zelenskjy – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
