2023-10-26 21:02:00
Tadam! This is an about-face never before seen among the Western allies, especially since this Eastern European country had until now been very committed to supporting Kiev, in the same vein as its neighbors in the region – The notable exception of Hungary. Bratislava supplied Ukraine with combat aircraft (Soviet-designed MiG-29s), Manpads (portable ground-to-air defense systems) and even an anti-aircraft defense system, in addition to repairing the weapons used by Ukrainian soldiers. . But that was before Robert Fico came to power on Wednesday, allying himself, without qualms, with a far-right, pro-Russian party (“quality” that Mr. Fico himself holds ).
Except that even the Kremlin did not seem very impressed by this “gesture of solidarity”. “Slovakia’s share in arms deliveries (to Kiev, editor’s note) was not so big, and that is why it will hardly affect the whole process,” the spokesperson for the Slovak Republic told the press. Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov, in an astonishing excess of frankness. If even Russia says so…
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The original Orban, better than the copy
On the European side, Mr. Fico’s announcement may well fuel concerns, but it is not enough to completely destabilize the Union either. This is the risk when we are content to plagiarize the absolute master of European trolling: Viktor Orban. In fact, when Robert Fico gives lessons to the EU, which according to him should “move from the status of arms supplier to that of peacemaker”, we would think we are hearing the Hungarian Prime Minister, who has been repeating since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine that he is on the side of peace. To be read as “on the side of bogus formulas which poorly hide self-interested cronyism with Moscow”. We must nevertheless recognize Mr. Orban’s unrivaled talent for showing bad taste, which he demonstrated again on Thursday. “Are you in favor of a ceasefire?” a journalist asks him, in obvious reference to the situation in Gaza. Answer: “I support the ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.”
Even your provocative tone to defend his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin: while many European countries have “a war strategy”, “we have a peace strategy. We are proud of it”, dared Mr. Orban. Which finally got some backlash. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called the “flirtation with a regime that is committing very cruel atrocities in Ukraine” “strange.” The behavior of the Hungarian “becomes a problem that we must tackle”, also estimated Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
Undoubtedly the most notable reaction was that of Xavier Bettel: “By shaking Putin’s hand, Orban gives the Ukrainians the finger,” declared the Luxembourg Prime Minister, for whom it was undoubtedly the last summit European. A beautiful exit.
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