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Hungary as honest broker

The EU member often at odds with the European Union assumes the bloc’s presidency and immediately befriends Ukraine.

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Reuters
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shake hands before a July 2 meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine.
  • By the Monitor's Editorial Board

On July 1, Viktor Orbán went beyond being merely the president of Hungary with its nearly 10 million people. He took over the rotating presidency of the European Union with its 448 million people. A day later, his moment of greater power led him to take on greater responsibility: Mr. Orbán visited President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine.

The trip was a symbol of inclusion, dignity, and respect for Ukrainians. Again and again since the Russian invasion, Mr. Orbán has opposed EU support for the embattled country, often siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On July 2, one day into his six-month role as EU leader, Mr. Orbán took his first trip to Ukraine since the war started.

He promised to report to other EU leaders about his talks “so that the necessary European decisions can be taken.” For his part, Mr. Zelenskyy said the visit was “a clear indication of our common European priorities, of how important it is to bring a just peace to Ukraine.”

Mr. Orbán has defied the EU on many issues other than Ukraine, but his assent to the bloc’s presidency helped change his tune. The job requires that a country taking on the role must be an “honest broker” among the 27 member states to facilitate agreements.

The European Council’s website compares the president to “someone hosting a dinner, making sure their guests all gather in harmony – able to express differences during the meal but leaving on good terms and with a common purpose.”

For the next six months, Mr. Orbán will be setting the broad agenda for the EU – but with the need to seek consensus. His stated top priority is to increase the competitiveness of EU businesses.

The EU’s democratic procedures, based on shared principles, have a way of reducing polarization. “This is an extraordinary situation, with a war in the neighbourhood, when we have to provide stability,” János Bóka, Hungary’s European affairs minister, told reporters in June.  With his visit to Kyiv, one of Mr. Orbán’s first acts as EU president was to stabilize his country’s ties with a country on track to becoming an EU member.

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