Hungary Urges EU for Change in Russia Policy
"Trump to Demand Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire Immediately After Election"
"Abuse of Rotating Presidency" EU Leadership Backlash
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is stirring controversy by demanding a change in the European Union (EU)'s policy toward Russia following talks with former U.S. President Donald Trump. Orban claims that Trump will call for a peace negotiation with Russia over Ukraine immediately after winning the November presidential election and insists that the EU should prepare for this in advance.
While EU leaders are pushing back against Orban for distorting his views as if they represent the entire EU by leveraging Hungary's rotating presidency of the EU Council, they are closely watching the U.S. election outcome. Concerns are rising over potential reductions in European security support as Trump has named Senator JD Vance, who has expressed strong opposition to aid for Ukraine, as his running mate.
Prime Minister Orban Urges EU to "Start Contacting Russia in Advance"
On the 11th (local time), Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) and former U.S. President Donald Trump (right) met at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, USA, and took a commemorative photo before their talks. [Image source=AFP·Yonhap News]
The New York Times (NYT) obtained and published a letter sent by Orban to EU leaders and European heads of state on the 16th. In the letter, Orban stated, "Former President Trump believes the war in Ukraine must end and plans to implement concrete measures for an early ceasefire even before taking office if elected." He also claimed, "After Trump's election, the financial burden ratio between the U.S. and the EU for supporting Ukraine will shift significantly to the EU's disadvantage."
He continued, "Under the guise of Atlantic integration, the EU's European strategy has simply followed the U.S. policy supporting the war in Ukraine, and until now, we have had no independent European strategy or political action plan." He emphasized, "Even now, diplomatic communication channels capable of direct contact with Russia must be reopened, and political dialogue revitalized."
Orban stressed that the contents were based on conversations he had directly with former President Trump. Orban met Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida after attending the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., on the 11th. He said they had in-depth discussions about ending the war in Ukraine and future European diplomatic issues but did not disclose specific details about peace negotiation plans.
"Hungary Should Not Abuse Rotating Presidency" ... EU Leaders Push Back
EU leaders are protesting that Orban is abusing Hungary's rotating presidency to strengthen pro-Russian actions. This is interpreted as a move to guard against Orban's diplomatic activities appearing to represent the entire EU's policy toward Russia.
On the 15th (local time), Eric Mamer, spokesperson for the European Commission, announced via X (formerly Twitter) that "Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has decided that only senior officials, not minister-level commissioners, will attend informal councils hosted by Hungary," warning that the status of all EU councils held by Hungary will be downgraded. He also stated, "The customary visits of the European Commission delegation to the rotating presidency country will be canceled."
This is seen as a warning against Orban's use of the rotating presidency in the second half of this year to visit Ukraine, China, and Russia, and to meet with former President Trump, urging early peace negotiations on the Ukraine war. Since the rotating presidency does not have the authority to represent the entire EU, pro-Russian diplomatic moves that give the impression of representing the EU are considered overreach.
EU foreign ministers from member states are reportedly boycotting all events held in Hungary. According to the U.S. political media outlet Politico, Hungary is scheduled to host an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Budapest on the 28th of next month, but Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, plans to hold a separate foreign ministers' meeting in another country on the same day to boycott the Hungarian meeting. Politico quoted EU sources saying, "EU foreign ministers want to send a clear signal that Hungary does not represent the EU."
Trump Running Mate Vance: "I Don't Care What Happens in Ukraine"
European political circles are highly tense as former President Trump has named Senator JD Vance, who has expressed very negative views on supporting Ukraine, as his running mate. Vance has strongly criticized European security freeloading and has shown a more hardline America First stance than Trump, making it difficult for European countries to expect continued U.S. support.
Ricarda Lang, co-leader of Germany's Green Party, told France24, "The nomination of Senator Vance as Trump's running mate is a cause for concern in Europe," adding, "At the Munich Security Conference last February, he stated that Russia does not pose an existential threat to Europe and that the U.S. and Europe cannot provide enough weapons to defeat Russia in Ukraine."
Vance has opposed support for Ukraine and overall European security aid even more strongly than Trump. According to CNN, during a recent campaign speech, Vance said, "There are many bad actors worldwide, but right now, we are much more focused on East Asia than Europe," and "I don't care what happens in Ukraine. Europe needs to get off the security blanket it has been receiving from the U.S."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
