Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is no shrinking violet, but even considering his rather eccentric statements and actions, the last few weeks have made many frown, writes Politico.
First, Orbán complained about the crime rate in Sweden, telling its Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson that his country was collapsing because of crime. Then Orbán’s government turned to insulting Croatia after Hungary’s neighbor offered to help it abandon Russian oil and gas. The rant continued when Orbán got into a spat with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk over Ukraine.
Literally out of the blue, Orbán’s exchange of words with Kristersson began – he attacked Stockholm for its law problems in the country. The Hungarian prime minister wrote on the X platform that a country once known for order and security is now collapsing – more than 280 underage girls have been arrested for murder. “The Swedish people deserve better,” Orbán said.
Sweden is currently facing a serious increase in the number of crimes committed by minors – gangs are increasingly recruiting teenagers using social networks. However, Kristersson did not hold back, calling Orbán’s statements a blatant lie and saying that the Hungarian leader, sensing the proximity of the elections, is desperately grasping at straws. The Swede added that
it is not surprising to hear such statements from a man who is undermining the rule of law in his own country.
Despite the war that Russia has been waging in Ukraine for four years, Budapest is still using the aggressor’s energy resources. When Croatia offered its pipelines as an alternative, Orbán’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, said Croatia was benefiting from the war. Orbán, in turn, said during a meeting with other European leaders on the 1st of October that Croatia’s energy export capacity was negligible. Szijártó’s outburst prompted Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to call Budapest “extremely rude.” He said the beneficiaries of the war were those who still rely on cheap Russian oil and gas. Plenkovic added that Croatia’s pipelines had been tested and could meet Hungarian demand.
Orbán also met with Plenković on the 1st of October, and the Hungarian called Croatia a strategic partner, in an apparent attempt to smooth relations.
Tusk, in a speech in Warsaw, called the events in Ukraine “our war,” implying that all of Europe was responsible, and warned of dire consequences if Russia were to win. The Kremlin-friendly Orbán could not resist a jab, declaring that Tusk was “playing a dangerous game.” He wrote on social media: “Dear Donald Tusk, you may think that you are at war with Russia, but Hungary is not. Neither is the European Union … This is very bad!”
Tusk responded to the jab by reminding Orbán that it was Russia that started the war against Ukraine. He pointed out that it was Russia that was responsible for the fact that Europe is living in a state of war, and questioned whose side Orbán was on. The Hungarian responded by saying that the only side he was on was Hungary’s. He just wants peace to prevail.
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