The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, is very annoyed by the criticism of him, which was heard in the European Parliament after he presented the priorities of the Hungarian presidency in the Council of the EU.
Points of attention
- Viktor Orbán accuses the European Parliament of spreading 'left-wing lies about Hungary' and criticizes their handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- Orbán expresses disappointment in the European Parliament's criticism and rejects comparisons between Ukrainian and Hungarian freedom fighters, calling the accusations propaganda.
- European leaders view Orbán's actions during his EU Council presidency as a 'total failure', leading to outrage and confusion within the EU.
- Orbán plans to address the European Parliament to discuss Hungarian presidency priorities, with opposition leader Peter Magyar set to respond, highlighting internal political dynamics.
- The controversy surrounding Orbán's leadership and criticisms towards the EU Commission underscore growing tensions within the European political landscape.
Orbán accused the European Parliament of propaganda and lies about Hungary
Orban did not hold back the words of irritation in his speech.
I would be happy to talk about the priorities of our presidency that I have presented, but I can tell that you are not interested. Rather, you organized a political intifada here (from the Arabic "rebellion" — ed.). All these left-wing lies about Hungary are pure propaganda.
Viktor Orban
Prime Minister of Hungary
He said that he was not surprised to hear this from the MEPs, but the accusations of the president of the European Commission surprised him, because in his speech he deliberately did not emphasize the differences between Hungary and Brussels.
This was not the case before. Previously, the president of the European Commission would never have said such a thing. This would never happen.
According to him, the European Commission used to be a neutral body.
But now that has changed, and instead of being the guardian of treaties, it has become a political body! he said, pointing to President Ursula von der Leyen.
Orbán also reacted with indignation to the comparison of Ukrainians resisting the Russian invasion with those who resisted the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956.
I reject any comparisons with the freedom fighters of 1956.
Orban once again repeated his criticism of the EU's strategy regarding the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine and declared that it is leading to defeat. According to him, if the EU does not want the defeat of Ukraine, it should resort to direct and indirect diplomacy.
During the presentation of the priorities of the Hungarian presidency, Orbán mentioned the war in Ukraine only in passing among other "crises". Instead, Ursula von der Leyen devoted a significant part of her speech to Ukraine.
The EU was outraged by Budapest's actions
The consequences of Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán's leadership of the team in the Council of the European Union have confused many European leaders. As the head of the European People's Party Manfred Weber admitted, he considers it a "complete failure".
According to journalists, already on October 9, Viktor Orban plans to make a speech in the European Parliament about the priorities of his country, which this half-year presides over the EU Council.
Immediately after that, Manfred Weber will open the plenary debate and announce Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar as the second speaker.
What is important to understand is that it is Magyar who is de facto Orbán's main rival and a member of the European Parliament from the center-right Tisza party after the European elections in June.
