Lithuania decided on Friday that it did not want to send ministers to meetings in Hungary. “So far, we have only decided to limit our participation at the political level in Hungary,” the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Lithuanian Parliament, Zygimantas Pavilionis, told the BNS agency.
Orban: “He talked about peace”
Orban, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council for six months, met with former US President Trump after the NATO summit in Washington on Thursday. “We talked about how we can create peace,” the Hungarian Prime Minister wrote on the X messaging service, among other things, Orban published a picture of the meeting and wrote: “Good news of the day: It will solve the problem.”
APA/AFP/X account of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban/Zoltan Fischer
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban published this photo after his meeting with former US President Donald Trump
Trump responded on the Truth Social platform he founded: “Thank you, Viktor. There must be peace, and quickly,” Trump wrote in it. Too many people died “in a war that should never have started.” The two right-wing populists Orban and Trump have a very friendly relationship and they already had a meeting in Florida in March.
At that time, Orban described his host as “the president of peace,” and the American praised the Hungarian as the “best leader” ever. The Hungarian Council Presidency has given Orban the slogan “Make Europe Great Again” – a reference to Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again”. Orban and Trump also show concern about NATO’s role in supporting Ukraine – both reject arms deliveries to Kiev.
It stops in Moscow, Beijing and Kyiv
Orban had previously sparked widespread criticism when he visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The right-wing populist leader described the trip in Moscow as a “peace mission” in light of the war in Ukraine. Orban also visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev. On Monday he met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
At the NATO summit in Washington, Hungary also caused a scandal before the Orban meeting. At the end of the Alliance summit, the Hungarian government accused the NATO partners of double standards and failure in dealing with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto represented Orban, who left the summit early because of the meeting with Trump.
AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko
Orban’s independent approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin has drawn strong criticism from EU and NATO partners
Baerbock: “irritations” in the EU
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock spoke of “irritations” in the EU regarding the meeting. The EU’s foreign policy chief is responsible for foreign policy, she said on Thursday. “These are individual Hungarian efforts that we observe with great surprise and skepticism,” said a spokesman for the German Foreign Office. On these trips, Orban speaks only for himself and not as the current President of the EU Council.
Regarding the possible consequences, the spokesman said: “We have to see how the Presidency of the Council of Hungary continues. We are now on day twelve. And a lot of ground damage has already been left behind.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said “he does not allow the travel plans of the prime ministers of other countries (…) to be presented to him.” “It is important for everyone to be clear that the Prime Minister of Hungary is acting like that” and that it is not within the scope of the tasks of the Presidency of the Council of the EU, said Scholz.
Macron: Orban’s decision, but no mandate
French President Emmanuel Macron sounded a similar note on Friday, saying it was Orban’s own decision, which he made with confidence. “But through his visits he did not promise us in any way because he did not inform us in any way in advance and he did not receive a mandate,” Macron said. Finnish President Alexander Stubb also emphasized that “Viktor Orban does not have a mandate from the Alliance or the European Union to conduct any kind of negotiations.”
On the other hand, NEOS called for the abolition of the rotating national chairs. “When the scepter is given to a national politician every six months Europe is weakened. It prevents us from speaking with one voice and being accepted around the world as equal partners,” said Helmut Brandstätter, NEOS foreign policy spokesman and nominated MEP. He called for a unified and united EU approach towards Orban. It misses clear words from the Austrian central government.
Resolution in the EU Parliament?
The discussion about Orban could continue next week. After the newly elected EU Parliament met for the first time on Tuesday, the first resolution is to be passed on Wednesday evening: In addition to the expected declaration of support for Ukraine, the resolution could condemn the Presidency of the Council of Hungary to also inform, according to EU Parliament circles. However, a parliamentary speaker did not want to confirm this on Friday.
A year ago, the EU Parliament requested by a large majority that the Presidency of the Council of Hungary be suspended. According to the parliament’s agenda, Orban will not speak next week at the first plenary session during Hungary’s rotating presidency. He is not going to present his country’s priorities until September. This will usually happen at the first session.