First Reactions to EU Summit, Hungary's Position

Viktor Orban is not a lone extra on the stage of European politics.

A Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda által közreadott képen Orbán Viktor miniszterelnök (k) az Európai Unió tagországai állam- és kormányfőinek kétnapos tanácskozására érkezik Brüsszelben a második napon, 2023. december 15-én. Balról Ódor Bálint, Magyarország Európai Unió melletti Állandó Képviseletének vezetője, jobbról Havasi Bertalan, a kormányfő sajtófőnöke. MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Fischer Zoltán Fotó: Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Fischer Zoltán

Hungary's decision to abstain at yesterday's EU summit and vetoing the financial aid to Ukraine have triggered a barrage of reactions. German press reports described yesterday as a historic success for Ukraine. EU leaders have paved the way for the start of accession talks with the country, which has resisted Russian aggression for 22 months, according to an opinion piece in Germany's  Der Tagesspiegel.T he author says that after almost two years of war, the historic significance of the EU summit in Brussels cannot be underestimated.

The paper points out that a country at war cannot be admitted to the community, but at the same time expresses concern that Donald Trump could be re-elected. In this case, according to the author, there could be a complete paradigm shift in the policy toward Ukraine. The article emphasizes that Prime Minister Viktor Orban has blocked 50 billion euros in aid to Ukraine and set conditions at a time when further support for Ukraine is already stalling in the US Congress.

As for billions in additional EU aid, Orban is likely to engage in another dispute with the other 26 EU heads of state and government in the near future,

the author says.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is not a lone extra on the stage of European politics when he talks about foreign policy and the course the European Union is taking, an analyst writes on the Croatian 7dnevno news portal. The Hungarian prime minister is simply more extravagant, the author says, more inclined to openly state his views on issues without reckoning with or condescending to anyone who disagrees with his thoughts.

Viktor Orban possesses something that many statesmen and politicians in the West don't - personal courage and willingness to take responsibility for his actions,

the author emphasizes.

In politics, as in trade, sooner or later everything boils down to bargaining and compromising,

the article says. According to the analyst, proof of this is the events on the first day of the EU summit, which resulted in unblocking 10.4 billion euros of previously frozen cohesion funds for Hungary, with Brussels suddenly realizing that Budapest had performed the required judiciary reforms.  It will be difficult to agree on Ukraine's accession to the EU in the long run, as the position held by Hungary is also shared by others, the author says.

In the opinion piece, the author points out that it is the duty of any statesman to take into account the national interests of the country they lead. This is especially true when the policies pursued enjoy broad public support.

Viktor Orban could be betting on a strong performance for the European right in the elections soon, biding his time for when more like-minded leaders may sit around the table, The Guardian writes as reviewed by the Mandiner portal. The UK paper's Brussels correspondent points out that the bloc is already grappling with how to address rule-of-law problems and foreign policy divergences, and many leaders recognize that the EU would have to reform internally before expanding.

In light of the results of the Slovak and Dutch elections, as well as the latest findings of opinion polls in Austria, the Hungarian prime minister has reason to hope that the EU will change course after next year's European Parliament elections.

As the Hungarian premier's political director, Balazs Orban, pointed out, despite the recent decision, Hungary will still have ample opportunity to block Ukraine's admission in the coming years, as the latest move by Brussels is only a decision of principle.

In the photo released by the Hungarian PM's Press Office, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (center) arrives at the two-day summit of EU heads of state and government in Brussels, on the second day, December 15, 2023 (Photo: MTI/PM's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)