Home POLITICS Diplomatic Rift Emerges Between Poland and Hungary Over Russia-Ukraine War

Diplomatic Rift Emerges Between Poland and Hungary Over Russia-Ukraine War

by EUToday Correspondents

A diplomatic conflict has erupted between Poland and Hungary, driven by their divergent stances on the Russia-Ukraine war.

The tension began when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, leveraging Hungary’s presidency of the European Union, visited Kyiv and subsequently travelled to Moscow for discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed strong disapproval of Orbán’s actions, viewing them as undermining European solidarity.

Orbán further inflamed the situation during his speech at a gathering of Romanian Hungarians on July 27, where he accused NATO countries and the European Union of hypocrisy, singling out Poland as particularly hypocritical.

Orbán alleged that Polish politicians collaborate with Russia while criticising Hungary for doing the same. This accusation provoked a sharp response from Warsaw, with Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski condemning Orbán’s statements as anti-European and anti-Ukrainian. Bartoszewski expressed astonishment that Hungary remains a member of NATO and the EU given Orbán’s critical stance towards these alliances.

“Why doesn’t [Orbán] create a Union with Putin and some authoritarian states of this type? If you don’t want to be a member of a club, you can always leave,” Bartoszewski said and added: “I don’t really understand why Hungary wants to remain a member of organisations that it doesn’t like so much and which supposedly treat it so badly.”

In response, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, a close ally of Orbán, defended Hungary’s position, claiming that Hungary had long tolerated Poland’s provocations and hypocrisy. Szijjártó accused Poland of being a major purchaser of Russian oil, thereby labelling the country as hypocritical. This accusation was made in the context of Ukraine’s decision to limit the transit of Russian oil, complicating Hungary’s energy security.

Despite the challenge, Hungary has not taken significant steps to diversify its energy sources since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski also responded, accusing the Hungarian government of selfishness and disrespect for European values. This exchange of accusations between senior officials highlights a deepening crisis in Polish-Hungarian relations.

The discord is rooted in Hungary’s approach to the Russia-Ukraine war, a source of contention even during the tenure of former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. At that time, Warsaw exercised caution to avoid conflicts with Budapest, given their shared scepticism towards the EU and mutual interest in solidarity against Brussels’ criticism.

The situation has shifted with the change of government in Poland and the rise to power of Robert Fico in Slovakia, whose views on European integration align closely with Orbán’s. This change has diminished Warsaw’s need for Budapest’s support, and vice versa. Orbán now relies on Fico to block any decisive EU actions against Hungary, reducing the need for Hungarian-Polish solidarity. Donald Tusk’s and Viktor Orbán’s diametrically opposed views on European Union and Euro-Atlantic integration exacerbate the rift.

This divergence is also evident within the Visegrád Group, composed of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. The unity of this group has eroded, with Poland and the Czech Republic supporting Ukraine and advocating for its accelerated European and Euro-Atlantic integration. They view the success of Ukrainian resistance against Russian aggression as crucial to their own security. In contrast, Orbán and Fico favour a different outcome, preferring Ukraine to remain in a grey zone with close ties to Russia. During his speech to Romanian Hungarians, Orbán asserted that Ukraine would not join NATO or the EU, indicating Hungary’s intent to obstruct Ukraine’s integration into these organisations.

In this context, the interests of the four Central European neighbours are fundamentally opposed. All parties have decided to openly express their positions. For Orbán, criticising the Polish government is politically advantageous, while Warsaw sees no reason to ignore Hungary’s close relations with Russia and its energy dependence on Putin’s regime. Poland continues to hope for a just peace in Ukraine and a Ukrainian victory in the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Similar tensions exist between the Czech Republic and Slovakia, though Fico navigates a more cautious policy balance between EU interests and his political agenda than his Hungarian counterpart.

Consequently, the diplomatic conflict between Poland and Hungary was anticipated, has commenced, and shows no signs of resolution given their fundamentally opposing views on Europe’s future.

Image source: /hungarianfreepress.com
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