Not so long ago, a European Union leader could heartily call Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban a 'dictator' in public and it'd be chuckles all around.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban pose for a photo prior to their talks on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. Orban will be the …BRUSSELS — Not so long ago, a European Union leader could heartily call Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban a “dictator” in public and it’d be chuckles all around.
And as the 27 EU leaders meet for their traditional fall summit in Brussels on Thursday, the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will join by video link, will only increase the focus on Orban. Another senior diplomat from a member state said that “he was sitting there very cozily - that was remarkable. Apart from that, let’s get to the point. Hungary is a complicating factor in any discussion on support and aid. It is there for all to see. We don’t have to be diplomatic about it,” he said, also seeking anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
“Things pop up that remind us of the Soviet times,” Orban said early this week. “Fortunately, Brussels is not Moscow. Moscow was a tragedy. Brussels is just a bad contemporary parody.” His comments caused no laughter at EU headquarters in Brussels. But Orban might have a new ally around the summit table Thursday, when left-wing populist Robert Fico is representing Slovakia as prime minister following his party’s election victory last month.
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