Viktor Orbán’s star moment – How is the support for Ukraine? “Fasten your seat belt”

“Fasten your seat belts”, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in X as he predicted what kind of ride is in store as Hungary hosts two major summits on Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday, Orbán will host a meeting of the European Political Community of more than 40 heads of state, followed by an informal summit of EU leaders.

The meetings come at a perfect time for the Hungarian prime minister, after a close ally of Orbán won the US presidential election Donald Trump.

Orbán is one of the few “Trumpists” in Europe. He plans to take all the joy out of the fact that Trump was elected president of the United States.

The EU leaders are already afraid of the Orbán show in advance, when it is known that the Hungarian Prime Minister wants to be seen and heard as the voice of Europe in the direction of the United States.

For Orbán, the problem is that the EU does not trust the Prime Minister of Hungary, who is in cahoots with Putin and is constantly cutting back on support for Ukraine.

Because of the connection with Putin, many EU countries, such as Finland, have boycotted Hungary’s EU presidency since the summer and sent only civil servants to ministerial meetings.

This time also the Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo (coc.) participates in the meeting hosted by Hungary. Finland did not start a boycott of Hungary, among other things, because the EU powers France and Germany do not do so.

Star moment

On Thursday, Orbán gets to bask in the limelight when he hosts a dinner for EU leaders, where they discuss the US election result and how future EU cooperation with Trump will be aligned.

According to preliminary information, the joint statement emphasizes the importance of US cooperation, but at the same time reminds that the EU continues to strengthen its sovereignty.

In the evening in Budapest, EU leaders are also supposed to discuss supporting Ukraine and express their commitment to continued support.

It was reported in advance that the Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi would participate in Thursday’s meeting, but on Wednesday evening Zelensky’s participation was still uncertain. On Thursday, it was confirmed that the Prime Minister of Ukraine will attend the meeting.

The fate of Ukraine is the talk of the town in Budapest, not least because Trump has promised to end the war in Ukraine within a day if he is elected president. The promise has raised concerns in Europe that Trump plans to end US military aid to Ukraine and force a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia without listening to Ukraine’s wishes.

Orbán is also against arms aid to Ukraine and has demanded peace talks with Moscow.

According to newspaper reports, Germany’s leadership is also starting to experience “war fatigue”.

Politico reported on Monday that the German Chancellor Olaf Scholzin the cabinet has considered giving in to Putin. It would mean that Ukraine should “Finnish”, give up territories occupied by Russia and remain outside of NATO.

A Moscow peace made on Russia’s terms will not work for Finland.

“It is particularly important that Europe strengthens its continuous support for Ukraine. The support has a direct connection to the overall security of Europe,” Prime Minister Orpo said on Wednesday before the Budapest summit.

A common line

In terms of Europe’s security and future, the majority of EU countries consider it important to take a common line both in supporting Ukraine and in strengthening Europe’s sovereignty and competitiveness.

However, the fear is that Orbán will start soloing and use the summit to convey his messages sympathetic to Russia and Trump.

We are now living in moments where Europe should be able to bear responsibility and show self-confidence. However, it is challenging, not only because of Orbán, but because the leadership of EU powers France and Germany is currently in such poor political condition.

The story was edited at 15:30 by adding Zelensky’s participation.