Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has accused Hungary’s right-wing populist government of eroding European solidarity towards Ukraine and allowing their nation to serve as an avenue for foreign intrusion. During her address, she reproached Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister, for his nation’s deviation from the consensus of the European Union on a range of crucial issues.
Von der Leyen, who regained her position at the helm of the EU’s administrative body earlier this year, expressed her disapproval of Orban’s appeasing stance towards Russia’s war on Ukraine, subtly alluding to him without explicit mention. She emphasised the ongoing struggles Ukraine is enduring, facing its third winter since Russia’s invasion in early 2022.
The European Commission President questioned those blaming Ukraine’s desire for independence instead of Putin’s thirst for dominance for the war, drawing parallels to the 1956 Soviet invasion of Hungary. She stressed that despite Europeans sharing diverse histories and languages, none embraces peace at the cost of capitulation.
Notably, Orban, who is against military support for Ukraine, advocates for peace – which critics fear would result in Ukraine losing significant territories to Russia. His viewpoints were delivered at a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where he also outlined Hungary’s plans during its upcoming six-month tenure as the president of the EU Council.
Von der Leyen, in her speech targeting Hungary, also criticised the nation’s continued reliance on Russian fuel, its nurturing relationship with China, and its punitive measures towards companies from fellow EU nations seeking to conduct business in Hungary.
The contentious visa programme by Hungary allowing Russian citizens easy access is seen as a security threat to all member states, pointed out by the commission president. The policy of permitting Chinese police to operate within Hungary’s borders further invited foreign disruption, she added.
She berated Mr Orban’s inflexible approach towards immigration and asylum seekers, equating it to undoubtedly pushing issues onto neighbours.
While other European Union countries have been shifting away from Russian energy resources after Ukraine was invaded, one state simply explored other avenues to access Russia’s fossil fuels, she observed.
She expressed her concern over one country diverging from our shared economy, isolating itself from the single market. She questioned the level of European investments a government could lure while simultaneously singling out European enterprises by levying higher taxes on them.