https://sputnikglobe.com/20231214/putins-right-orban-fico-branded-pro-russian-simply-for-sticking-to-national-interests-1115577771.html
Putin’s Right: Orban, Fico Branded ‘Pro-Russian’ Simply for Sticking to National Interests
Putin’s Right: Orban, Fico Branded ‘Pro-Russian’ Simply for Sticking to National Interests
Sputnik International
At his big year-end presser on Thursday, Russian President Putin suggested that Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary and Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia were among the only defenders of national interests left in the West. Sputnik reached out to a leading Hungarian foreign policy analyst for his take on Putin’s remarks.
2023-12-14T11:37+0000
2023-12-14T11:37+0000
2023-12-14T13:15+0000
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Vladimir Putin dismissed the characterization the leaders of Hungary and Slovakia as “pro-Russian.”“I have already said many times before that they are not ‘pro-Russian’ politicians, but rather pro-national – they defend their [national] interests. There are no others like this, they simply don’t exist…[This is] tied to a great dependence on ‘Big Brother,’ on the United States,” the Russian president said.“And I would add not just about Hungarian interests, but on some issues European interests. It’s a pity that Europeans and European politicians, especially the leaders of the European Union, do not proceed from European interests,” Stier added.As an example, Stier pointed to the frantic drive by Brussels to try to incorporate Ukraine into the bloc, notwithstanding the threat to its own stability and well-being.“Whether Ukraine is ready or not is not something that needs to be explained to a normal person. The European Union is not ready either. Because if this expansion occurs earlier than in 15 years, it will deepen frictions within the European Union. The European Union is not ready economically, politically, and so on. That makes Orban a pragmatist, who proceeds from national interests on many issues, and from European interests on many issues. Orban is not destroying Europe. Orban wants to see a strong Europe. Europe is now weak and is going through a very deep, systemic economic, monetary and political crisis, unfortunately,” the observer said.Fico is “similar to Orban,” even if he’s not prepared to so openly clash with Brussels’ bureaucracy, in Stier’s estimation. “This means he’s ready for more compromises, but mainly he proceeds from Slovak interest,” the analyst stressed.The Ukraine issue aside, the question of European security is also important, the Hungarian observer noted, emphasizing that “it is impossible to talk about” this question without taking Russia into account.Hungary and Slovakia have stood alone among European powers in rejecting the NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, refusing to send arms to Kiev and, in Hungary's case, not allowing military hardware to pass on to Ukraine through its soil. Budapest has also continually rejected Brussels' self-harming moves to reject Russian energy, and other forms of economic cooperation with Moscow.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231214/live-updates-putin-holds-year-end-press-conference-and-qa-session-1115557110.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231214/hungary-supports-provision-of-more-funds-for-ukraine-outside-eu-budget---orban-1115576678.html
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Putin’s Right: Orban, Fico Branded ‘Pro-Russian’ Simply for Sticking to National Interests
11:37 GMT 14.12.2023 (Updated: 13:15 GMT 14.12.2023) At his big year-end presser on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary and Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia were among the only defenders of national interests left in the West. Sputnik reached out to a leading Hungarian foreign policy analyst for his take on Putin’s remarks.
Vladimir Putin dismissed the characterization the leaders of Hungary and Slovakia as “pro-Russian.”
“I have already said many times before that they are not ‘pro-Russian’ politicians, but rather pro-national – they defend their [national] interests. There are no others like this, they simply don’t exist…[This is] tied to a great dependence on ‘Big Brother,’ on the United States,” the Russian president said.
“I completely agree with President Putin. I have been saying for a long time that when Orban’s opponents reproach him for being ‘pro-Russian,’ this is just a label, nothing more. Orban proceeds from Hungarian national interests,” Gabor Stier, a senior foreign policy analyst at Magyar Nemzet, a leading Hungarian conservative daily newspaper, told Sputnik.
“And I would add not just about Hungarian interests, but on some issues European interests. It’s a pity that Europeans and European politicians, especially the leaders of the European Union, do not proceed from European interests,” Stier added.
The foreign affairs observer also agreed with Putin’s Europe’s dependence on its American “big brother,” saying the EU in its current form has become a “vassal of America, unfortunately.”
14 December 2023, 08:45 GMT
As an example, Stier pointed to the frantic drive by Brussels to try to incorporate Ukraine into the bloc, notwithstanding the threat to its own stability and well-being.
“Whether Ukraine is ready or not is not something that needs to be explained to a normal person. The European Union is not ready either. Because if this expansion occurs earlier than in 15 years, it will deepen frictions within the European Union. The European Union is not ready economically, politically, and so on. That makes Orban a pragmatist, who proceeds from national interests on many issues, and from European interests on many issues. Orban is not destroying Europe. Orban wants to see a strong Europe. Europe is now weak and is going through a very deep, systemic economic, monetary and political crisis, unfortunately,” the observer said.
Fico is “similar to Orban,” even if he’s not prepared to so openly clash with Brussels’ bureaucracy, in Stier’s estimation. “This means he’s ready for more compromises, but mainly he proceeds from Slovak interest,” the analyst stressed.
The Ukraine issue aside, the question of European security is also important, the Hungarian observer noted, emphasizing that “it is impossible to talk about” this question without taking Russia into account.
“That means that it is in our interests to treat Russia pragmatically and to end this war as quickly as possible. Furthermore, the migration challenge, the economic challenge – they can continue on for a long time. And those politicians who are starting to talk about this will become more popular in Europe. This explains the popularity of Orban, the popularity of Fico, because these politicians do not dream of the impossible. A politician must proceed from reality, and they proceed from reality,” Stier summed up.
Hungary and Slovakia have stood alone among European powers in rejecting the NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, refusing to send arms to Kiev and, in Hungary's case, not allowing military hardware to pass on to Ukraine through its soil. Budapest has also continually rejected Brussels' self-harming moves to reject Russian energy, and other forms of economic cooperation with Moscow.
14 December 2023, 11:19 GMT
