Hungary breaks off: Baerbock and Szijjarto in queues

Hungary breaks off: Baerbock and Szijjarto in queues

Hungary says planned foreign minister meeting with Baerbock

The planned journey of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) to Budapest to meet her Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto on Monday was surprisingly canceled by the Hungarian side. This was announced by the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin and expressed regret about the cancellation. A personal conversation would have had significant importance in view of the complex political situation and in particular the unexpected journey of Moscow by Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Orban's surprising Moscow visit

in the run -up to the canceled meeting in Budapest, Viktor Orban traveled to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Orban's speaker Bertalan Havasi confirmed the planned meeting. Despite the continuing conflict in Ukraine, Orban continues to maintain close relationships with the Kremlin chief.

reactions and criticism

• Robert Fico: The Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was seriously injured in an assassination in May, praised Orban for his trip to Moscow. "If my state of health had allowed it, I would have liked to have come," said Fico.
• EU and NATO: The European Union, represented by the chief diplomat Josep Borrell, sharply criticized the visit. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said that the US government spokesman Orban accused the peaceful effort. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made it clear that Orban does not act on behalf of the western military alliance.
• Olaf Scholz: The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized that Orban acted on his own without explanation and emphasized the EU's clear attitude against the Russian attack war.

trip as peace mission staged

Orban positioned his journey as an attempt to promote peace: "You can't create peace from a comfortable armchair in Brussels." On the online platform X, he emphasized the importance of the EU Presidency of Hungary at the Peace Foundation, although this has no official negotiation mandate.

Visit to Kiev and the complex role of Hungary

Operban Kiev visited just a few days before his trip to Moscow, which is his first visit since the beginning of the war. At this meeting with the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj, he advocated a break of fire to enable negotiations. However, relationships between Kiev and Budapest are tense because Hungary in the past was delayed for Ukraine and blocked sanctions against Russia.

dependence on Russian gas

Hungary remains strongly dependent on Russian gas deliveries, some of which flow through Ukraine. However, Kiev has signaled that the current contract for the gastransite should not be extended beyond the end of the year. This energy -political dependency further complicates the position of Hungary in the geopolitical game.

Putin's attitude and the prospects for peace

At the same time, Putin rejected a break without a preconditions. Putin emphasized that such a break could only serve to give the opponent advantages and reorganize his armed forces. In the meantime, the situation remains tense, and real peace negotiations between Kiev and Moscow are not in prospect.

The missing consensus and the diverse international reactions to Orban's self -empowered attempted diplomacy illustrate the deep cracks and the complexity of the current geopolitical situation in Europe.

- Nag