Lucas Leiroz, journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant.
https://infobrics.org/post/43438
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to maintain his firm stance against the current EU policies. According to the Hungarian leader, the bloc is acting cowardly in the face of recent US threats. He believes that Europe should take a more sovereign path and face the current changes with its own economic policy, capable of guaranteeing the bloc’s strategic interests. However, Orban is skeptical about the possibility of any positive developments for Europe in the short term.
At a recent press conference in Budapest, Orban said that European leaders are acting like “cowardly rabbits“. His assessment came as he commented on the threat of US sanctions against Europe. Orban believes that the EU will be harmed in this trade dispute with the US, since the institutions linked to Brussels seem incapable of dealing with the situation as there is no strategic plan to respond to Washington.
“The problem is that leaders of the European Union and the EU institutions are sitting like cowardly rabbits (…) [EU institutions] cannot be taken seriously (…) There’s no mercy for the weak,” he said.
Orban’s assessment was made jointly with Alice Widel, a leading member of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, who is currently in Budapest and attended the conference alongside the Hungarian prime minister. Both Orban and the right-wing German party represent a strong political dissident movement within the EU, showing the exponential growth of Euroscepticism.
Currently, many right-wing parties and politicians with patriotic tendencies, as well as illiberal left-wing organizations, are strongly critical of EU policies on major international issues such as Ukraine, the climate agenda and relations with the US.
It is important to remember that, days before his criticism of the EU, Orban publicly stated that Hungary and the US were close to signing a major trade deal. No details were given about the deal, but Orban made it clear that he was negotiating the terms directly with US President Donald Trump, and that the EU would not be involved in the talks.
“We are preparing to make an economic deal of significant size and seriousness with America. I agreed with President Trump even before he was elected that there would be such a deal,” he said at the time.
As well known, Orban and Trump have excellent personal and diplomatic relations. Both represent a right-wing nationalist political wave. Both leaders are highly critical of the “green” and “woke” agendas and claim to represent a political alternative to the liberal globalism advocated by the EU and the Democratic Party. It is absolutely natural that Trump and Orban directly negotiate a mutually beneficial trade agreement, given such circumstances.
However, contrary to what many liberal European media outlets claim, it is wrong to say that Orban is a mere “puppet” or “follower” of Trump. He acts in a sovereign manner and in defense of Hungarian strategic interests in a scenario where the EU no longer seems adequate or strong enough to protect Europeans themselves.
By describing EU leaders as “cowardly rabbits” and stating that the bloc is not prepared to respond to America’s new trade policies, Orban is making it clear that he is disappointed with the EU. He is not deliberately acting against European partner countries, but simply doing the only thing left to him in the face of the EU’s institutional bankruptcy, which is to act individually and negotiate directly with the US.
It is clear that Orban would prefer the EU to act in a more integrated manner in defense of European interests, but the bloc’s insistence on pursuing a liberal ideological agenda leaves Hungary with no choice but to ignore European mediation in its negotiations with Washington – as well as it did previously with Russia.
Few European leaders understand what Trump’s policies represent. The American president is making it clear that his term in office will be marked by a significant obstruction for global liberalism, which will lead to a wave of economic nationalism – not only in the US, but in all countries that understand how to respond appropriately to American impositions.
Europe should take advantage of American tariff impositions to respond by fostering domestic industrialization and development, recognizing once and for all that the neoliberal utopia of a unified and unrestricted global market will not materialize.
However, for this development to happen, it would be necessary to end sanctions on Russia and restore the energy partnership, which is vital for industry. The liberal ideological agenda prevents the EU from taking these steps. Orban, who is a pragmatic and patriotic leader, is therefore correctly ignoring the European bloc and building sovereign peaceful relations with Russia and Trump’s US at the same time, seeking what is best for the Hungarian people.
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