Prime Minister of Hungary With Viktor Orbán has been in a hurry.
Orbán, who inherited the scepter of the European Union presidency last week, has had time to travel around the world on his so-called peace tour in just over a week.
The tour ended yesterday with the former US president Donald Trump’s creates a Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
A photo taken of the duo, in which Orbán seems to have wings on his back, particularly attracted attention.
Trump trusts Orbán
The “peace tour” raises the question: is Orbán acting as Trump’s running mate?
Orbán attracted attention already in March when he visited Trump, who is running for re-election in the United States, without meeting the president Joe Biden.
Usually heads of state don’t act like this, but Orbán didn’t care.
A researcher of Hungarian background Katalin Miklossy doesn’t think that Orbán is Trump’s cashier.
– It may seem that way, but I don’t think Orbán is acting as Trump’s running boy. Orbán has consistently built his relations with the world’s conservatives, says Miklossy.
From Trump’s point of view, however, Orbán is useful.
– Trump knows that if anyone can promote his interests within the EU, it is Orbán.
According to Miklossy, Orbán is one of the few heads of state who have repeated Trump’s claim that Biden fraudulently won the previous US presidential election.
In Miklossy’s opinion, the fact that the peace tour has taken place during the first week of Hungary’s presidency is no coincidence.
– Hungary now plays with two cards. The EU is told that this is only Hungary’s foreign policy, but everyone else is shown that we are the country holding the EU presidency.
– Orbán always has a fox’s tail under his arm, Miklossy continues.
Hungary is therefore trying to use the presidency to its advantage, and the EU can do almost nothing about it.
– Orbán knows that the EU has no means to put him in the dust. And the means that have been used have been introduced much too slowly and late, says Miklossy.
Orbán was in a hurry to go to Moscow
Hungary has criticized the EU and the military alliance NATO’s aid to Ukraine throughout the war of aggression against Russia. The country has repeatedly sided with the EU’s decisions regarding Ukraine and thus delayed aid to Ukraine.
Orbán is accused President of Russia Vladimir Putin from playing in the bag. For his part, Orbán has praised Trump and said that Trump “would give a penny for Ukraine”.
He is also praised China’s peace plan, which is very comprehensive.
Last week, Orbán surprised by starting his tour from Kyiv. At that time, even in Ukraine, it was not known that the peace journey would continue a couple of days later to Moscow. The meeting with Putin caused an uproar in the EU.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi answered reporters’ questions about Orbán’s solo performance at the NATO meeting on Thursday.
– With all due respect to all countries, it must be said that not all leaders can act as negotiators. Certain powers and power are needed for that, Zelenskyi said.
Orbán, on the other hand, commented on the trip to Moscow by saying that he noticed that the goals of Russia and Ukraine are far from each other.
According to Katalin Miklossy, Orbán was clearly in a hurry to continue his journey from Kiev to Moscow.
– Orbán wanted to make sure that Putin didn’t get angry. He had to be appeased because the Kremlin might be afraid of warming relations between Hungary and Ukraine, says Miklossy.
During his tour, the Hungarian Prime Minister also visited the Chinese leader in Beijing Xi Jinping by. Miklossy sees economic reasons behind this visit in particular.
– Hungary is trying to make the economic agreements and investments signed in May materialize, but it was convenient for Orbán to disguise the trip as part of a peace tour.
A challenger has been found for Orbán
Hungary’s domestic politics have been in turmoil in recent months.
Left Orbán’s Fidesz party Peter Magyar founded his own party, which received almost thirty percent of the votes in the European elections in June.
– Fidesz now feels threatened. Magyar’s party brings together centre-right forces, to which many Hungarians are inclined, says Miklossy.
So is Orbán’s intention to assert his power in Hungary?
Miklossy does not believe that the peace tour would have a significant impact on Orbán’s position.
Sinikukka Saari, a researcher at the Foreign Policy Institute, said in the A-studio that Hungary strives above all to preserve its economic interests in Russia.
Orbán’s peace trip to Moscow turned out to be grim, because Russia hit a children’s hospital with a missile just a couple of days after Orbán’s visit.
Instead, Orbán’s only viable challenger, Peter Magyar, seems to position himself differently in relation to Ukraine. He organized a fundraiser after the hospital attack and traveled to Kyiv.