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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has often found himself isolated in the European Union, especially since the conflict began. He is virtually the only one to resist Western attempts to help Kyiv and the only one to openly call for the lifting of EU sanctions against Russia.
With the return of his ideological ally Donald Trump to the White House, Orban may have hoped his influence on European affairs would grow. But in reality, he looks more isolated than ever as the weakening transatlantic alliance forces European countries to come together, Bloomberg writes.
Orbán has repeatedly blocked EU decisions that require unanimous approval by all 27 member states. Agreements on financial and military aid to Ukraine, as well as sanctions against Russia, have only been passed after Orbán has sought concessions. This has complicated the process of developing a single EU position on global issues and tested the strength of the consensus approach to decision-making within the bloc.
Unlike most of Hungary's allies, Orban maintains close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and argues that Russia poses no military threat to the EU. He calls the war in Ukraine a conflict between "two Slavic countries" and believes that financial and military support for Kyiv will only prolong and escalate the fighting.
For this reason, he positions his administration as “the only peace-loving government in the EU,” accusing the rest of the bloc of fomenting war. Orbán also said that Trump’s return to power should push the EU to stop aid to Ukraine and resume dialogue with Putin.
Orban's sharp turn has sparked accusations of blackmail from his EU partners.
Other governments in the bloc, with the possible exception of Slovakia, believe that a Russian military victory in Ukraine would strengthen Putin after his unwarranted aggression and weaken European security. Some of Hungary’s allies have begun to question its commitment to the EU’s shared values, and Orban himself is increasingly seen as Putin’s “Trojan horse.”
Hungary became the only European country to vote with the US against a UN resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Orbán also congratulated Trump after his clash with Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on February 28.
As the EU prepares for a possible trade war with the Trump administration and contemplates its largest rearmament since the Cold War, the need to find a more effective mechanism that will prevent Orbán from blocking urgent solutions is growing.
Recent initiatives announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen do not require unanimous approval by all member states. They include €150 billion in new loans, expanding the financial capacity of EU countries to increase military spending.
However, unanimity is still needed on a number of critical issues. This concerns, for example, the extension of sanctions against Russia, which automatically expire at the end of July if not extended, as well as the issue of raising hundreds of billions of euros for defense through joint loans.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said after the March 6 summit that it was time to learn how to prevent one-man blocking of decisions. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen stressed the need to create a “coalition of the willing” to overcome internal opposition within the EU.
