Hungary has Vetoed the Council of Europe’s recognition and support of President Zelensky’s 10-Point Peace plan, asserting that other plans were not given a fair hearing.
The plan, which was produced in 2022, includes the stipulation that Russia withdraw immediately from all Ukranian territory including Crimea. But Russia has left the Council of Europe and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said that ‘the real peace negotiation can only take place if all the warring parties are sitting around the table.’ He explained that ‘today, the Council wanted to adopt a resolution, in which it wanted to recognise only and exclusively President Zelensky’s peace plan as a peace formula to be considered and supported.’
In addition to the Council of Europe fiasco, the Hungarian position is likely to gain prominence in the Council of the European Union, as Hungary take over the 6-month presidency of that body on July 1st. As in 2021, when Hungary took over the presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, questions are being asked about whether it is possible to break with procedure and prevent this from happening.
Having lost powerful allies in Poland as Donald Tusk swept to power last year, and with Robert Fico in intensive care following an assassination attempt, Hungary will be in a strangely isolated position as they assume their place at the helm of the EU’s most powerful governing body. Hungary remains the only nation to be penalised under the EU’s conditionality clause – with its lack of civil compliance costing them an average of almost €9 billion in EU funds in their national budget between 2024 and 2026 – around 5% of its 2023 GDP. Yet the Hungarian government appears unshakable in the face of large opposition coalitions as long as the governing Fidesz party continue deal pragmatically with Russia to ensure low energy prices while the EU fret that Beijing will replace Brussels as Budapest’s cosiest superpower. Hungary was the first EU nation to sign up to China’s Belt and Road initiative and is home to both Huawei’s biggest logistical base outside China and a $7.7bn Chinese battery plant.
Hungary has dragged its feet over support for the Ukrainian war effort since the start of Putin’s invasion, but appears to be digging its heels in as tensions rise in the wake of the assassination attempt on Robert Fico – often seen as Central Europe’s second great Ukraine war recusant.
‘Europe is being transformed into a pro-war bloc,’ complained Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. ‘Our task is to try to curb aggression in everyday life and the risk of war in politics.’
Writing on Facebook, Szijjarto said that ’others, too, have prepared their peace proposals which are no worse that the one the Ukrainian president has insisted on.’A Chinese peace proposal has been dismissed by the West for its perceived ‘Pro Russian’ stance.
