Hungary's Viktor Orban: New world order emerges to end Western dominance
By bellecarter // 2024-03-19
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For Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the Western hegemony is coming to an end as the new world order emerges. Amid all these, he vowed that his nation would remain walking its independent path despite being pressured by neighboring countries to align with them. Orban expressed his strong opinion during an annual ambassadorial meeting on Tuesday, March 5 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Budapest. "The hegemony of the West has come to an end, no one doubts this today, as it is well supported by data," he said, adding that it is clear that the world economy is being divided into geopolitical blocs and that enormous pressure is being put on those states, including Hungary, which take a sovereigntist position. He further stated that there is very little room for maneuvering in being part of a bloc. "This is why it is in Hungary's interest to be a member of the European Union and NATO, but not to be part of a bloc. For this reason, we will strengthen our alliance with other sovereign countries," he continued. The prime minister also urged Hungarian diplomats to constantly monitor and analyze evolving trends as a new world order takes shape. "In an era of threats, our ambassadors will have an even greater role and task, and they will need more courage than ever to represent the national interest effectively," he remarked. Earlier on, Orban described the Ukraine-Russia conflict as a "proxy war," claiming that the West that controls it has no chance of winning it. To support his assertion, he cited Ukraine's heavy dependence on foreign defense aid. Budapest has also called on both parties to negotiate an end to the hostilities to avoid further bloodshed, which Kyiv has refused to countenance. For Orban, there is only one solution: "Peace negotiations must begin sooner or later," and involve the U.S. in some capacity. He also criticized the European Union's failure to seize on the opportunity to seal a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow early in the conflict, according to Russia's TASS. Over the weekend, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto warned that the "later a ceasefire is called and negotiations begin, the worse it will be for Ukraine." Orban has always been public with his criticisms of Western policies especially when it comes to the Ukraine war. He has denounced sanctions on Russia as counterproductive and weapons deliveries to Kyiv as dangerous and escalatory. Last month, Orban reportedly told members of his ruling Fidesz-KDNP parliamentary faction that in light of the growing financial burden on European nations owing to the Ukraine conflict "almost nobody believes" President Volodymyr Zelensky's troops will win. (Related: Hungarian PM Viktor Orban accuses EU of resorting to BLACKMAIL to force his support to Ukraine.)

Orban to meet with Trump to discuss ending Ukraine-Russia conflict

Orban is traveling to the United States and is set to meet with former U.S. President and now frontrunner Republican candidate Donald Trump in Florida in the next few days to discuss ways to end Russia's war against Ukraine. According to a report by European Pravda, a Ukrainian news outlet, Szijjarto confirmed this, adding that the meeting's agenda will also include addressing bilateral relations between Hungary and the United States. The Hungarian minister claims that negotiations to end the war are inevitable, because "Kyiv can't defeat Russia," and "Russia can't defeat the entire West." Meanwhile, Orban has been known to support the 45th U.S. president. In previous years, Orban attended several pro-Trump events and directly advocated for his re-election as president. He specifically stated that "if Trump were president, the war would not have begun" and that Trump's return "will bring peace." "We cannot interfere in other countries' elections but we would very much like to see President Donald Trump return to the White House and make peace here in the eastern half of Europe," he stressed. Orban is not expected to meet anyone from President Joe Biden's administration. Instead, he is scheduled to speak on a panel with the head of a conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, before meeting Trump. UkraineWitness.com contains more updates on the current situation in Ukraine.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com TASS.com Pravda.com.ua
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