Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban remains true to himself. He puts the interests of Hungary and its citizens above everything else. The rest of Europe will wait.
Viktor Orban makes schismatic and even somewhat obscene statements almost every day. He predicts troubles, trials and even a quick collapse for the European Union. Brussels has become addicted to Ukraine and all of the Russophobia that is related to it.
"Initially, I thought we had only shot ourselves in the foot, but now it is clear that the European economy has shot itself in the lungs, and it is gasping for air," Orban said in July of 2022.
According to Budapest, Hungary is not the only EU country that was opposed to capping prices on the Russian oil. The Hungarians oppose EU's embargo on Russian natural gas too. Budapest refers to Morgan Stanley experts, who predict an increase in inflation in the EU by an additional 1.5 percent against the backdrop of such measures.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban plans to veto additional assistance to Ukraine in order to start a debate to unfreeze EU funds intended for Hungary, France24 said.
The Hungarian Prime Minister believes that further sanctions against Russia are impossible without a consensus in the EU.
A number of EU countries want to make far-reaching decisions in Ukraine's favour at the summit that is supposed to take place on December 14-15.
Senior EU officials acknowledge that the topics that Viktor Orban touched in his letter to European Council President Charles Michel were "important and relevant.” At the same time they wondered whether the Hungarian leader was staying "under the Russian influence."
Orban is convinced that Brussels' decision to invite Kyiv to accession negotiations was "hasty, erroneous and ill-considered." Hungary remains Ukraine's main obstacle on the way to the European Union, Reuters said citing an anonymous source in the EU. They say that Budapest retains serious claims regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia.
In addition, there is the ongoing conflict with Russia, the collapse of the Ukrainian economy, uncertainty regarding the territories that remain under Kyiv's control, total corruption and much more.
Orban admitted that his government would work to ensure that Ukraine does not join the EU. According to the Prime Minister of Hungary, Ukraine is "light years away” from joining the European Union.
According to EU officials, if Budapest's veto remains in force, Ukraine will not have a chance to join the EU.
Hungary is still waiting to receive the funds from EU's €700 million recovery fund created in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The European Commission said that the funds would not be released until Viktor Orban's government resolved long-standing issues with the judiciary and the rule of law.
The EU also froze more than six billion euros in promised regular payments to Hungary due to "failure to comply with conditions to combat corruption, raise transparency in public procurement and strengthen the independence of the judiciary." Orban responded by saying that Budapest fulfilled all the requirements of the European Commission.
The European Union may fall apart due to the policies of Brussels as Europe is balancing on the brink of war, Viktor Orban said. Assistance packages for Ukraine, another (12th) package of sanctions against Russia, depletion of foreign exchange reserves, difficulties for small and medium-sized businesses — Hungary brings these and other issues to public attention on a regular basis.
In general, Hungary is making life a nightmare for the EU. It appears that Orban is right about many things, but the arrogance and self-confidence of European officials does not give them an opportunity to adjust their suicidal policies.