Hungary shows how low it can go

What is wrong with Orbán and Hungary?

Recent news says "The EU will give money to Hungary in order to unblock EUR 18 billion for Ukraine. Hungary was able to get Brussels to de-freeze part of the funds allocated to it, so that Budapest would lift its veto on some important issues, including 18 billion macro-financial aid for Ukraine."

Of course, I am glad that Ukraine will receive the necessary resources for Victory.  But what Hungary is doing is pure blackmail.  Abuse of its position as a member of the EU and NATO.

In general, what the Hungarian government has been doing since the beginning of the war contradicts my understanding of European civilized politics. And there is nothing strange here.  Fidesz, the party of Orbán and his henchman, Foreign Minister Szijjarto, are dangerous populists and Eurosceptics.  They clearly admire dictators like Putin and Xi Jinping.  But they are not ashamed to embrace the bloodiest dictators and support radical xenophobic and authoritarian political movements.

 "What the Hungarian government has been doing since the beginning of the war contradicts my understanding of civilized European politics.  And there is nothing strange here. Fidesz, the party of Orbán and his henchman, Minister of Foreign Affairs Szijjarto, are dangerous populists and Eurosceptics."

Only since February 24, the Hungarian leadership has taken several completely wild steps in relation to Ukraine alone.

Examples:

• Hungary is the only one of all the EU and NATO states that has prohibited the supply of weapons for Ukraine, cargoes of goods for the needs of the Ukrainian defense forces through its territory;
•  at the height of the fuel crisis in April and May — blocked the transportation of transit fuel to the territory of Ukraine;
•  blocked the introduction of sanctions against the Russian church and the banking system;
•  blocked the embargo on oil trade with the European Union.  As a result, the embargo was imposed exclusively on maritime trade.  It's still good, but a total embargo would be more useful;
• Hungary also blocked the introduction of an oil price ceiling until the last moment.  "The price ceiling for Russian oil will harm the European economy," Szijjarto, the head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, stressed.  Yes, in the end, an exception was made for Hungary and it did not impose a veto.  But the behavior is very telling;
• blocked EUR 18 billion of EU macro-financial assistance to Ukraine.  And it created obstacles for other steps to help our country.  It is good that other EU countries bypass these wild actions, but in general Orbán is helping Putin here;
•  Hungary does not stop its chauvinistic and imperial rhetoric.  "Trolls" Ukraine, Romania, Slovakia and Croatia, "claiming" these territories.  But it incites separatist sentiments in Romania and Ukraine.

And there are many more examples of the wild behavior of Orbán and Co.

 If Russia proves to us that there is no rock bottom and a country can endlessly degrade, then Hungary demonstrates that there is no limit beyond which degradation is impossible.  There is no magical moment after which the country becomes democratic, developed, and normal forever.  At any point, society may sway towards "nostalgia", people may begin to believe that they are surrounded by enemies and that the "Great Hungary" must be brought back.

"If Russia proves to us that there is no bottom and a country can endlessly degrade, then Hungary demonstrates that there is no limit beyond which degradation is impossible.  There is no magical moment after which the country becomes democratic, developed, and normal forever."

And then dangerous populists will come to power, who will destroy the institutions of democracy, the market economy, and try to conduct an aggressive policy against their neighbors.  This is all a good lesson for us.  We must always be vigilant about democracy.  Do not give chances to dangerous populists.  And be faithful to Euro-Atlantic values.

I am sure that Hungary will recover.  Thanks to the European Union and the defeat of Putin's dictatorship, Hungarians will be able to throw out the dangerous usurper Orbán.  They will remember Orbán's reign as a lost decade or however long he will rule there.

And this shame of Hungary now is the price of losing vigilance.

About the author: Hryhoriy Malevko, public figure, politician, head of the Holos faction in the Kyiv City Council

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