Though Fidesz supported sanctions against Russia, the government is not allowing the transfer of lethal weapons through Hungarian territory to Ukraine. The narrative that Fidesz supports peace while the opposition supports war was completely false, nevertheless it worked.
In this episode of the Liberal Europe Podcast, Leszek Jażdżewski talks with Dr Péter Krekó about the forthcoming election to the National Assembly in Hungary, the possible outcomes in the current geopolitical situation, and their implications for the region.
In this episode, Leszek Jażdżewski welcomes Alicja Bachulska, a MapInfluenCE China analyst in Poland and a member of China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe (CHOICE). They talk about the impact of the Russian aggression in Ukraine in a more global context – with the focus on China.
For Slovakia, in particular, as the extremely strong generation of “Husák’s children”* does not have a sufficient population replacement and will start to put a major strain on the health and pension systems in the coming decades.
For a long time, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been accused of representing Russian interests in the EU. In his 2014 speech about the transformation of Hungary into an illiberal democracy, he depicted the Russian social and state model as a good example for the country.
It is likely that most voters in Hungary will see Orbán’s argumentation as a distraction from his close political ties to Putin and a distraction from the close interconnection of Orbán’s oligarchic environment to Putin’s oligarchic environment.
Mobilization of Polish society to help refugees is beyond all expectations. Facebook groups where ordinary citizens offer their help have mushroomed in recent days, gathering hundreds of thousands of users.
This week, Ukrainian President Zelensky signed an official application for membership of the European Union on behalf of his citizens. Commission President Von der Leyen stated that Ukraine’s place is in the EU and the European Parliament adopted a call for EU candidate status.
The new conflict with the Russian regime, which is reviving its Soviet ambitions, has unified Europe and reminded the countries in the V4 region to realign its interest as well as economic solutions away from the East (Russia and China), and back to the Western Europe and the U.S. spheres of influence.
Ukraine is now a battlefield between good and evil. The new over the old. But everything will be fine. The Ukrainian people and our army can work miracles. In the meantime, the world cannot stay silent. A new day is coming. Let us stand together when it comes.
