Hungary continued this past week being a lone EU voice blocking the European Union's collective efforts to ramp up more financial and military aid to Ukraine, at a moment Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has a powerful backer in Washington - the Trump administration.
Hungary in a Thursday European Council summit vote refused to endorse a statement reaffirming the bloc’s commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Orbán government slammed the 'pro-war' stance of the EU, despite 26 out of 27 EU nations signing off on it.
While the statement had only largely symbolic significance, saying Europe backs the "continued and unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity" - Orban described that this only prolongs the war and brings the conflict no closer to peaceful resolution.
"Once again, they wanted to adopt a common position in which we want to give Ukraine even more money and even more weapons, and we are committed to the war," the Hungarian leader explained after the veto.
"Over the past three years, Hungarian families have lost around 2.5 million forints (approximately €6,268) per household as a result of the war. I must stop this, and we must not allow Hungarian families to continue to pay the economic consequences," Orbán stated.
He urged European capitals to get in Trump's corner, who is seeking a diplomatic solution. But here's how The Associated Press and other outlets characterized Hungary's stubborn refusal to go along with Brussels:
At the same time, Orbán is also emboldened by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is pushing for a ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump has blamed Ukraine for Russia’s unprovoked invasion, all while accusing Kyiv of unnecessarily prolonging the biggest land war in Europe since World War II.
Orban described further in an interview with regional media...
"There is one way to achieve this: if we get Europe to support the president of the United States in his peace efforts, instead of embarking on war adventures, and then there will be peace. This debate took place, but we were unable to convince each other."
He continued, "I vetoed the common position, and therefore the European Union has no common position. What will be made public here today is nothing more than the private position of 26 member states, not the common position of the European Union, because without Hungary such a position cannot be accepted."
"The president of Ukraine is confused about his role, he is behaving as if he were in the European Union and therefore could afford to take a sharper tone when he cannot do so. He is an applicant who wants to join the European Union, about which opinions are divided," Orbán remarked.
Parrel to all of this, NATO is seeking to 'Trump-proof' the alliance for the long-term, which reports of closed-door discussions on how to replace United States leadership in the alliance some five to ten years down the road, amid fears that Washington will retreat from leadership, and its majority financial and weapons support to NATO.
