Viktor
Orban is Hungary's bigger-than-life Prime Minister. Never one to back
away from conflict, Orban gained national attention when, as a
student, he called for the immediate withdrawal of Soviet troops from
Hungary in 1989. Just a few months later, the Soviet troops returned
home. Hungary was free and independent, and the country had a new
hero. Nine years later, Orban, as head of the Fidesz Party,
became Prime Minister. Trained as a lawyer, Orban, nonetheless, has a
real sense of free market capitalism. During his first term in
office, he reduced inflation and brought the government's deficit
under control. Under Orban's leadership in 2010, Hungary joined the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO. So, it should be like old
times for Orban when he attends the 75th Annual NATO Summit this week
in Washington.But I don't expect it to be without
controversy. As we'll see in a moment, Orban is again caught in a
swirling cloud of diplomatic consternation. Since July 1,
Orban has also been the President of the "Council of the
European Union" (not to be confused with the European Council
(UGH!)) or simply the Council. This group consists of 27 national
ministers, each representing their respective countries. The
President of the Council rotates among each member nation, and
currently, it is Orban's turn. In terms of international
diplomacy, the President of the European Council, now Orban, is
considered the lead diplomatic representative of the EU. Although, in
real terms, the senior bureaucrats of the EU, such as Charles Michel
and Ursula von der Leyen, make the real decisions, this current
position gives Orban the "ticket" to visit heads of state
on behalf of the EU. And that's just what Orban's been doing.
Wasting no time, Orban accepted an invitation that Volodymyr
Zelenskyy had extended some time ago to visit Ukraine. Just the day
after assuming the Presidency of the EU Council, Orban flew to Kyiv.
Orban is a man on a mission, wasting no time to begin. Orban
wants to end the conflict in Ukraine; his immediate goal is to bring
about a ceasefire. Although this comes as no surprise to any careful
observer, it may have caught Zelenskyy off-guard. Although Zelenskyy
had welcomed almost all European leaders to Kyiv, this was the first
time anyone wanted to talk about peace. All the rest had pledged some
sort of military or economic support for Ukraine. But Orban
came in search of a way to stop the fighting, not promote it. In a
joint press conference, standing next to Zelenskyy, Orban disclosed
his objective: "I asked the president to consider
whether... a quick ceasefire could speed up the peace
talks." https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/hungarys-orban-visits-ukraine-with-aid-tensions-running-high-198035 Someone
from the West talked about a ceasefire for the first time in this War
between Russia and Ukraine. Unthinkable from most of the other NATO
countries. For his part, Zelenskyy rolled with the moment,
mumbling something about common European priorities and a just peace,
but it became apparent that he had no clue where Orban was
going. What came next caught the entire European Union, to say
nothing about all of NATO, by complete surprise. Orban flew to
Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. To the
collective West, this was a complete breach of decorum and
dangerously close to seeing Russia as a responsible member of the
global family of nations. If Orban, as titular head of the European
Council, met with President Putin, it would give Russia the mantel of
respectability that the West has tried to deny for two and a half
years. The BBC called Orban "Russia-Friendly."
LeMonde noted that it triggered "anger" throughout the EU
and amounted to mere "capitulation" from Ukraine. France 24
said that Orban's efforts were "mere appeasement."
Zelenskyy outright repudiated Orban, saying that only "strong
alliance" members could negotiate for Ukraine. There were even
rumblings that the EU may revoke Orban's Presidency of the Council,
an unprecedented move. Such was the heated rhetoric coming
from throughout the Atlantic alliance. It was the standard "kill
the messenger" reaction that we've seen throughout the
Russia-Ukraine War. Anytime anyone discusses ending this conflict,
they are met with hostility, as if peace is such a bad thing. As
Orban noted in Moscow: "The number of countries that can
talk to both warring sides is diminishing," Orbán said.
"Hungary is slowly becoming the only European country that can
speak to
everyone." https://apnews.com/article/hungary-russia-orban-putin-visit-ukraine-4755f85d49703be7971b262c18707222 Orban
continued his whirlwind tour with a visit to China and talks with Xi
Jinping. At the end of these discussions, Xi responded: According
to Chinese state media, Xi told Orban, "The international
community should create conditions for the resumption of direct
dialogue and negotiations between the two sides and provide
assistance.It is in the interest of all parties to seek a political
solution through an early
ceasefire." https://www.reuters.com/world/china/hungary-pm-orban-arrives-beijing-talks-with-chinese-president-xi-2024-07-07/ In
a week, Orban had visited three capitals, meeting with the leaders of
the two belligerents (Russia and Ukraine) and the two principal
leaders of the Global South, China and Russia. Two of the three
leaders, Putin and Xi, had indicated their desire to bring peace to
Ukraine. Only Zelenskyy had diminished Orban's efforts. Today,
Orban will be in Washington, D.C., the capital of Ukraine's principal
ally. It will be the 75th Summit Meeting of NATO, an organization
that Hungary joined while Orban was Prime Minister for his first
term. However, it is likely that his reception will be less than
friendly. NATO has invested substantially in Ukraine's ultimate
victory; anything less than that, like an immediate ceasefire, will
no doubt draw the ire of many. There is only one thing that
Orban might do that would draw more anger, and that is to visit
Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. Therefore, many Orban observers
feel that's precisely what he'll do. Orban's mission is to
bring peace to Ukraine, and he'll let nothing get in his way. Follow me here on ThinkSpot for more stories from the ValueSide.