Viktor Orbán – from Putin’s Trojan Horse in Brussels to “that dog” in mere minutes

Just a few short days ago very few observers would have expected Hungary’s Viktor Orbán to drop his veto at the European Council in order to allow the latest – and much needed – tranche of aid to Ukraine.

€50 billion was on the table, and due to the EU’s unanimity rules Orbán had been widely expected to veto the deal, leaving Ukraine facing a €48 billion budget deficit.

As the leaders gathered in Brussels’ European Quarter, EU farmers – unwitting pawns in the game – were blocking the streets of Brussels, toppling statues, and lighting fires outside the European Parliament.

It was supposed to be the opening chapter in what many believe to have been a Russian orchestrated series of events – albeit with covert support from Hungarian actors in Brussels.

Russian media was in a frenzy of anticipation: “Events in Brussels are unfolding tumultuously. Orban, unwilling to sponsor the Kiev regime, openly mocks Brussels.

“Upon arriving at the EU summit, he immediately demanded a complete change of leadership for the bloc.

“Bravo to him. Because for the current leaders of the European Union, Ukraine’s interests are much more important than the needs of farmers.

“After making a loud statement for the press, the Hungarian Prime Minister talked to protesting Belgian farmers and reiterated the same thought.

“In the video posted by Orban, you can notice that the protesters shake his hand. And overall, they communicate with the Hungarian leader with utmost respect. They even smile.

“Macron or Scholz will probably not dare to approach the protesters. In the best case, they would be booed publicly, and could even be showered with manure.”

Then Orbán went off-script and it all went wrong for Putin!

Russian State TV mouthpiece’s swift turn: from praising to vilifying Viktor Orbán as ‘That Dog” in mere minutes.

Olga Skabeyeva, a US State Department-sanctioned Russian propagandist known for her incendiary and aggressive tirades on the state-owned TV channel Russia-1, initially lauded Orban for his defiance against the EU leadership.

However, her stance swiftly soured following Orban’s apparent endorsement of EU financial aid to Ukraine.

Skabeyeva’s comments came after Orban, at the beginning of the EU Summit on the 1st of February, demanded a complete change of leadership for the bloc, openly mocking Brussels and emphasising the importance of farmers’ needs over Ukraine’s interests.

In a segment on Russia-1, Skabeyeva initially applauded Orban’s stance, commending him for his boldness in confronting the EU leadership:

“Events in Brussels are unfolding tumultuously. Orban, unwilling to sponsor the Kiev regime, openly mocks Brussels. Upon arriving at the EU summit, he immediately demanded a complete change of leadership for the bloc. Bravo to him!

“Because for the current leaders of the European Union, Ukraine’s interests are much more important than the needs of farmers.

“After making a loud statement for the press, the Hungarian Prime Minister talked to protesting Belgian farmers and reiterated the same thought.

“In the video posted by Orban, you can notice that the protesters shake his hand. And overall, they communicate with the Hungarian leader with utmost respect.

“They even smile. Macron or Scholz will probably not dare to approach the protesters. In the best case, they would be booed publicly, and could even be showered with manure.”

However, Skabeyeva’s tone took a sharp turn when it was revealed that Orban had in fact voted in favour of allocating €50 billion in macro-financial assistance to Ukraine.

In a subsequent segment on Russia-1, Skabeyeva expressed her dismay, referring to Orban as “that dog” for allegedly betraying his earlier stance and promising support to European farmers:

“Charles Michel announced that the European Union summit approved a long-term budget assistance program for Ukraine worth 50 billion euros over 4 years.

“So either they cornered Orban, or they gave money to Orban, what exactly happened with Orban is unknown to us.

“We’re waiting for him to appear among the people. And he just talked to people, that dog, promising them support. I’m talking about European farmers.”

European leaders managed to win over Orbán with three additions:

An annual report by the European Commission on the implementation of the aid package; a debate at leaders’ level on the implementation of the package; and, if it is needed, in two years time the European Council will ask the Commission to propose a review of the new budget, according to the latest version of the draft European Council conclusions.

EU leaders added a line referring to earlier conclusions from December 2020 to guarantee that the way the rule of law in Hungary is evaluated by the European Commission is done in a fair and objective manner.

There may of course have been other incentives we will never know about.

After all, this is Brussels!

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Read also: Orbán Relents: Ukraine to Receive Additional €50 Billion, by Inna Chefranova.

“In a significant move, the leaders of the European Union – including Viktor Orbán – reached an agreement on Thursday to allocate macro-financial assistance to Ukraine, amounting to €50 billion – the decision received unanimous support from all 27 EU member states.”

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