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Politico: Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has spent the past week brazenly trolling the West — shaking hands with Vladimir Putin, comparing the EU to an oppressive Soviet Union, and vowing to hold up a fresh tranche on aid for Ukraine.
Now the swaggering Hungarian leader is set to team up with Slovakia’s newly elected pro-Putin leader, Robert Fico, to further affront the bloc during a gathering of EU leaders on Thursday in Brussels.
The EU’s response so far?
The EU has largely reacted with indifference, promising to unfreeze €13 billion for Hungary in return for reforms. Orbán, particularly, has been delaying EU sanctions against Russia and openly defying NATO, raising security concerns among other EU and NATO members.
As for Fico, the Slovakian leader who’s vowed not to send a “single round of ammunition” to Ukraine, he does not present a major risk for the EU. One EU diplomat also pointed out that so far, they had only heard Fico as a candidate in the elections, not yet as a member of the European Council. “Sometimes that is different,” the diplomat quipped.
Some officials argue that neither Hungary nor Slovakia can drastically disrupt EU operations. Yet, the sentiment of increasing risk persists, especially as Orbán and Fico’s actions put strains on relations with both EU allies and the U.S. Critics caution that appeasing such behavior could be damaging, as it may embolden Orbán and Fico further.
The entire article can be read at the link https://www.politico.eu/article/eropean-union-pro-russia-viktor-orban-robert-fico-troll-western-allies-vladimir-putin-handshake/
