EU Commission President harshly criticizes Orbán from European Parliament podium
Photo: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (Getty Images)
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen criticized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his pro-Russian position. She also accused him of a historic failure to support Ukraine, according to The Guardian.
The head of the European Commission spoke in the European Parliament after Orbán, who in his speech on the priorities of Hungary's presidency of the EU Council barely mentioned Ukraine.
Standing a few meters away from the Hungarian Prime Minister, von der Leyen sharply criticized Orbán's position on Ukraine, comparing the Russian-Ukrainian war to the 1956 Hungarian freedom struggle, which rose up against Soviet oppression but was eventually defeated by the Red Army.
"There are still some who blame this war not on Putin’s lust for power but on Ukraine’s thirst for freedom, so I want to ask them: would they ever blame the Hungarians for the Soviet invasion in 1956?" she said.
Von der Leyen noted that "there is no European language where peace is synonymous with surrender and sovereignty is synonymous with occupation."
She also criticized Orbán for failing to fulfill the EU's commitments made in 2022 to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
"Instead of looking for alternative sources (of energy - ed.), in particular, one member state just looked for alternative ways to buy fossil fuels from Russia," President of the European Commission added.
The Hungarian Prime Minister, in turn, said he was surprised by what he heard from von der Leyen and accused her of turning the European Commission into a “political weapon.”
He rejected any comparison between the events of 1956 and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, reiterating that the EU, in his opinion, has a “losing strategy” in the war.
Criticism of Orbán for his pro-Russian stance
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long been criticized by EU leaders for playing along with Russia's interests, using anti-Western rhetoric with Kremlin talking points, and blocking EU aid to Ukraine.
Thus, the Polish Foreign Ministry even suggested that Orbán withdraw from the EU and NATO and form an alliance with Vladimir Putin.
In addition, in the summer, the European Union decided to move the meetings of the bloc's foreign ministers and defense ministers from Budapest to Brussels because of Orbán's position and his peace tour.
Then, while in Kyiv, he suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stop resisting the Russian invasion, lay down his arms, and agree to peace talks. Orbán then went to see Putin in Moscow.
