Prior to 2022 Viktor Orbán was synonymous with a conservative autocrat for an average liberal abroad policy observer, while in Poland specified conviction increased reasonably close relations between Fidesz and Law and Justice. In February 2022, a patch of pro-Russian politics became permanently attached to the Prime Minister of Hungary. erstwhile Hungary took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU in July this year, no 1 had always imagined that it would be a peaceful term. However, the Hungarian "peace mission" has undergone the boldest expectations of policy observers. Viktor Orbán has so far visited Kiev, Moscow, Baku, Beijing and Washington.
March to Peace
"Russia hopes that Europe and the West will become soft, and any in Europe are playing it," said Ursula von der Leyen, referring to the actions of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán[1]. The words of the president of the European Commission on the effort to change Europe's position towards the Ukrainian-Russian conflict by means of the Hungarian peacekeeping mission did not come out of nowhere. The demands not to engage in war did not come out of Viktor Orbán's mouth only at the time of the presidency of the EU Council, and they started around February 2022. Already in the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Hungarian message was clear – not for war, Hungary stands on the side of peace. In the first months of 2022 anti-war rhetoric was primarily internal. Fidesz assured his compatriots that they would not be sent to the Ukrainian front, standing in opposition to the pro-Ukrainian statements of the Hungarian left. The celebrated words of Péter Márki-Zaya, Mayor of Hódmezővásárhely and Prime Minister candidate, claiming that “Ukrainians are fighting our war”, are so obliged to aid Ukraine. Sympathizing with Fidesz, the media presented this message as a call for participation in the conflict across the east border[2]. For the last 2 years, the rhetoric of Hungary as an island of peace in a war-torn planet has been in the media, criticizing most European politicians. However, the apogee of "peaceful slogans" took place on the eve of the Europarliamentary elections. The candidates of the ruling organization competed for the EP under the slogan “Only peace, only Fidesz”(coal. Csak a béke, csak a Fidesz).
In the run to Hungarian self-governments (in Hungary, the Europarliamentary and self-government elections were held on the same day) the Prime Minister spoke about the request to appoint mayors from the peace party. On Viktor Orbán's authoritative channels there were even sharp words, specified as the definition of opposition “pro-war parties”, statements about “European war madness” and the necessity to halt it with “Hungarian brake”. The culmination of Fidesz's run to Europarlamento was a march for peace in Budapest. On Saturday, June 1st, thousands of Hungarians and abroad visitors went to Margaret Island, carrying antiwar slogans. The demonstration was besides a pre-election rally of support for Fidesz. Viktor Orbán himself participated in the march in Budapest, which not only repeated the celebrated run slogans, but besides mentioned Hungary from Zakarpacia with wishes for a better future. The event echoed widely in Europe and faced an immediate negative reaction from Ukrainian authorities and the media. Ukrainian MMA advisor Anton Heraschenko posted on his profile on X (formerly Twitter): “I would like to answer to Mr Orbán that no 1 wants peace for Ukraine more than we do. Ukraine did not start the war. Ukraine is forced to defend itself, and our only goal is peace. What Russia calls "peace negotiations" is in fact the demolition of Ukraine. And beginning the door to Europe for Russian soldiers”[3].
The spectrum of Trianon
Herashchenko's message was not an isolated emanation of cold Hungarian-Ukrainian relations. Relations between these countries have been strained for years. The biggest crisis occurred in 2017, erstwhile Ukraine adopted an educational bill hitting national minorities. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, who already held the 5th term, included improving surviving conditions in the Fidesz programme and helping to keep the national identity of the Hungarian diaspora in areas lost as a consequence of the Treaty of Trianon of 4 June 1920, among others in the territories of today's Ukrainian state. In 2011, he gave members of the diaspora Hungarian citizenship, a year later they received electoral rights. Naturally, Viktor Orbán besides spoke of Zakarpacki Hungary, who, due to Ukrainian law, cannot have double citizenship. They besides do not have a guaranteed delegate in the Verchowna Council and feel incapable to cultivate national traditions and Hungarian-speaking education.
Their situation besides affects Ukraine's integration with the European Union. The efforts of the government in Kiev to enter the EU are hampered by Hungarian opposition. Neither the Prime Minister nor the current abroad Minister Péter Szijártó hide that Hungary is prepared to let Ukraine to proceed European integration, but only on condition that the rights of the Zakarpacie number are granted. Especially those that concern the sphere of education. So far Viktor Orbán has avoided traveling to Ukraine. The last time he visited the country was before annexing Crimea, in 2012. Viktor Orbán's visit to Kiev this year was a surprise to all – from abroad media to Fidesz voters. And during this trip, the subject of the Hungarian number in Zakarpacie was besides raised.
Moscow Stop
If the Prime Minister of Hungary had stopped on a journey to Kiev, full of sentences about peace, and the only another subject of talks with Zelenski was the issue of number rights in Zakarpacie, an unexpected gathering would have passed without an echo. At the very least, a fewer liberal politicians would remind Orbán that "this is not a good time for specified discussions" and that while holding up the Presidency of the Council of the EU, he should "take care of another matters". But it didn't. The day after visiting Kiev Viktor Orbán went to the Kremlin to talk to Vladimir Putin. His departure was already known a fewer hours before the planned flight, and the public was to learn about the event due to essential permissions to fly over Poland, among others. Of course, the imagination of a gathering with the president of Russia met with a wave of criticism, but here besides Orbán was prepared to respond to public opinion. He called his visit to Moscow "the second halt of the peace mission". The Hungarian voter may have felt satisfied with the explanation – there is yet an independent arbiter in many conflicts who will perceive to both sides of the dispute. The reader from abroad, who received this message, was no longer so optimistic. Especially erstwhile Vladimir Putin’s statements came to light, which clearly indicated that he was playing on time for Russia in this war. According to journalists, the Prime Minister of Hungary was to lay low. On the 1 hand, he considered himself to be the only European leader who could visit both Kiev and Moscow, on the another he urged peace on mostly unspecific terms. Let us take a closer look at these too.
If Viktor Orbán is the only 1 able to talk to Putin's European politician, then there is simply a origin that led him to this position. In the message that Fidesz-related profiles show us, it would be an iron attitude behind peace. While all political run leaves much to be desired in terms of credibility, the fact is that Hungary has tried to be neutral in global forums. On the 1 hand, the Hungarian veto sabotaged Ukraine's military aid, on the another hand, any condemning Russian aggression by the UN resolution enjoyed Hungarian support. 1 more point is that European countries which have not maintained this neutrality cannot presently play the function of the eventual mediator. So it is not adequate that the Hungarian Prime Minister's departure to Moscow affirms a conservative attitude towards Ukraine (which states neighbouring Russia could not afford to afford to keep public support), but suggests that another EU countries made a number of mistakes after February 2022.
If the imagination of peace remains unclear, it is an perfect average for the unfriendly Fidesz media. From Viktor Orbán's mouth never sounded elegies about the lost Crimea. On the hill of Gellerta we will not see the inscription “Putin, The Hague is waiting for you” which decorates the skyscrapers in Vilnius. erstwhile the Prime Minister of Hungary talks about the immediate detention of the war, it can be presumed that it would end on terms that would be unfavourable to Ukraine, or even on the current front line (this communicative tried to push liberal media). So liberal media can let go of fantasies about the unverifiable pro-Russian ideas of Orbán.
Open to the East
Another stop, another scandal. This could be summed up by Viktor Orbán's gathering with the Organization of Turkish States in the Azerbaijani capital. The Prime Minister of Hungary went to Baku a fewer hours after visiting Moscow. During the gathering of the OPT States, the subject of unrecognized, separatist Northern Cyprus was raised. Viktor Orbán's hands no longer scope there, eager to build peace in the world, but his presence at this conference was already certain faux pas. However, it is worth noting that Hungary has been an observer of the Turkish Organizations since the end of 2018. Its position is due to the beginning east (coal. Keleti Nyitas). It is simply a policy of cooperation with east European countries and Asia in the field of mainly economic. Hungary has been strengthening relations with Central Asia, China, the Caucasus and the Balkans for respective years. In the context of the EU's proposals to impose further duties on products from the mediate East and fresh reports of civilian liberties violations, this course is rather controversial for the European political observer. Firstly, due to the maintenance of Russian-Hungarian relations, secondly, due to the increase in the function of the PRC in the Carpathian pool, the most prominent example of which was the construction of the Budapest-Belgrad railway connection in cooperation with the Chinese investor. Another peace mission halt was Beijing, where Viktor Orbán met Xi Jinping. His visit argued that In addition to the fighting parties, the 3 planet powers – the US, the EU and the PRC – will decide erstwhile the war will end. The visit to Beijing ended with the common assurance that both Hungary and China will proceed their efforts for planet peace.
Make Europe large Again!
Viktor Orbán covered his promotional material before the election. The slogan modelled on the Trumpian MAGA besides accompanies him during the EU Council Presidency. After a visit to Beijing, the time came for the 4th and 5th halt of the peace mission, namely the NATO summit and visit to Donald Trump. The participation of the Prime Minister of Hungary in the Washington gathering with another leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance states has been signed to stress that this organization is peaceful and stands behind peace.
Here we see the other of the rhetoric utilized by liberal politicians, who, regardless of the presently unknown results of the race for the seat of the president of the United States, are betting on the triumph of Democrats. What is worth emphasizing, the Hungarian side claims that the Republican candidate is besides a “man of peace”. The first condolences that came to Donald Trump moments after the assassination came from Budapest. Similarly, erstwhile another “man of peace”, Robert Fica, was attacked, Hungary reacted first.
Rubik's Cube
The Presidency of the Council of the EU is not as strong or as weak as we think, paraphrased by the quote on Russia. Viktor Orbán will not re-establish the planet order and will not be "these hands" ending conflicts in Ukraine. The position he took gives him more opportunities to make contact with leaders friendly to his visions and announce his ideas to the world. The Presidency of the Council of the EU is bound to rise awareness of the budapest proposals for resolving global conflicts.
So can we talk about any revolution in EU-Russia-China-US relations? No, especially since the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council will be over in six months. But he can kind of normalize it. opening east. Viktor Orbán's visits to Baku and Beijing can open a fresh chapter in the relations between the OPT countries and China with EU countries by showing the anticipation of seeking partners outside Europe. Nevertheless, it would not all depend on Viktor Orbán. There's an alternative. Ursula von der Leyen decided that the Commissioners would not go as part of their usual visit to Budapest, which was to respond to Orbán's visit to Moscow. The EU may consider that the visits that have taken place and the call for renewed relations between the associate States of the Union and Russia are to specified an degree unacceptable that it will take steps to deprive Hungary of the six-month Presidency. Then possibly we could observe the slow isolation of this country from further integration within the EU, while expanding assurance in Fidesz among Hungarians, but this would not consequence in any extremist actions of the Hunexit species. Depriving Hungary of their position would be a long-awaited, strong argument confirming the rhetoric about Eurocrats that are negative to the Danube state.
[1]Orbán over journey to Russia, https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-slams-viktor-orban-trip-russia/ [accessed: 19.07.2024]
[2]Márkki-Zay Péter magyar katonákat és fegyvereket küldene Uztrzenába, https://magyarnemzet.hu/belfold/2022/02/marks-zay-peter-magyar-catonakat-es-fegyvereket-kullene-countryba [accessed 10.07.2024].
[3]Anton Gerashchenko on X: „Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban made claims about «death of Ukraine» if we refuse peaceful resolution. He said that at a rally in Budapest, after a «peace March» that was directed against evacuation of the war in Ukraine. «Refusing peace means death for Ukraine», Orban Said’, https://t.co/gYeQnCEXet [accessed : 10.07.2024].
