Poland and Hungary, which have had a strong alliance, are completely different in their approach to Russia. Hungary is Putin’s best friend in the EU, while Poland is a strong opponent.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has driven longtime allies between Poland and Hungary.
Poland has been in the EU for condemning the Russian invasion and has sent a significant number of weapons to Ukraine, among other things. In Hungary, on the other hand, the centralized prime minister Viktor Orbán has put a brake on EU economic sanctions against Russia.
– If Orbán continues on his line, we will not be able to continue cooperating as we have done so far. A positive change in our relationship would be good, but it will only be possible if Viktor Orbán changes, Kaczyński said.
So far, Poland and Hungary have not criticized each other publicly.
Cooperation since the early 1990s
Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia formed an association called the Visegrád Group in the early 1990s and a few years later the free trade organization CEFTA.
Since the break-up of Czechoslovakia, the Visegrád Group has had four members, and political cooperation between Poland and Hungary in particular has been close. The group’s common spirit began to crack down on Russia in 2014 when Russia conquered the Crimean peninsula.
This year and the invasion of Ukraine have brought the final complete turnaround.
– There is a difference going on in political marriage, sums up political analyst for Visegrád Insight Wojciech Przybylski Dagens Nyheterille.
Hungary has benefited from its relations with Russia
The different attitudes of the countries towards Russia may be influenced by the fact that Poland shares more than 200 kilometers of the border with Russia in Kaliningrad. In addition, the border with Russia’s ally Belarus is four hundred kilometers. Hungary and Russia are not border neighbors.
The Polish parliamentary elections next year will also have an impact.
– Orbán in Hungary is seen as Putin’s ally, so the Polish government must make a difference to him, Przybylski says.
Hungary is thought to want to consider Ukraine a buffer zone between itself and Russia. Hungary, for example, has blocked ministerial-level talks on Ukraine’s NATO membership.