Budapest
Hungary’s right-wing nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, has for more than a decade nurtured close political and economic ties with Russia, giving him the reputation as the Kremlin’s closest European Union ally.
For weeks, as Russian President Vladimir Putin amassed tens of thousands of troops along the borders of Ukraine, Hungary’s neighbour to the east, Orban avoided condemning the buildup and spoke emphatically against applying sanctions.
As tensions escalated, Orban even travelled to Moscow, where he met with Putin in the Kremlin, their 12th official visit in as many years, and lobbied for larger shipments of Russian gas.
But when Russia’s large-scale invasion commenced last week, Orban for the first time laid responsibility for the tensions and violence on Moscow in what could be a turning point in his more than decade-long, pro-Russia approach.
Russia attacked Ukraine this morning with military force, Orban said hours after the invasion began Thursday. Together with our European Union and NATO allies, we condemn Russia’s military action.
Though Orban neglected to mention Putin by name, or to call the military action an invasion, his apparent about-face was long awaited by his critics both in the EU and in Hungary.
It could also be a sign that he realizes his posture toward Moscow is not rooted on stable fundaments, said Daniel Hegedus, a fellow for Central Europe at the German Marshall Fund.
What we see is practically the collapse of Orban’s 12-year-long Russia policy, Hegedus told the Associated Press. I think (Orban) realised that Russia is a security threat in the region.
