Europe's Pro-Putin Faction's Sway Is Growing

Two of the European Union's most outspoken populists—both often criticized as Moscow sympathizers—are joining forces to stymie bloc funding for Ukraine as Kyiv fights to maintain foreign commitment through a costly winter.

On Tuesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico held bilateral talks in Budapest regarding the EU's proposed four-year $54 billion aid package for Ukraine, which most member states want to take from the bloc's common budget.

Orbán was the lone opponent of the funding package in December, just hours after the European Council agreed to begin membership negotiations with Kyiv.

On Tuesday, Fico said he had "listened very carefully to the proposals" put forward by his Hungarian counterpart "in relation to the review of the budget and aid to Ukraine."

"I will repeat that we consider them to be rational and sensible," he said.

Orbán showed no sign of shifting his position. "If we want to help Ukraine, which I think we need to do...we must do so without damaging the EU budget," the prime minister said after the bilateral meeting.

Orbán has called for the four-year funding package to be split into four separate payments, each to be reassessed annually before being sent to Ukraine. This would give Hungary and all other EU states additional opportunities to delay or block each segment.

EU nations are set to meet in Brussels on February 1 to try to find a way forward. Fico hinted that Orbán's plan will have Slovakia's backing. "I look forward to seeing you soon on February 1 in Brussels, where we will watch with full understanding your legitimate fight for what you started at the last European Council," Fico told his counterpart on Tuesday.

Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry by email to request comment.

Fico's return to the prime minister's office late last year was seen as an expression of "Ukraine fatigue" in the Central European country. The leftist leader has repeatedly warned that Ukraine cannot win its war against Russia.

Fico had vowed "not to send another bullet" to Ukraine if he won the election, but the Slovakian parliament's decision this week to award the Defense Ministry a veto over arms exports will potentially open the door for private companies to continue arming Ukraine.

Nonetheless, Fico has continued his criticism of the collective EU-NATO approach to Russia's almost two-year war against Ukraine.

Last week, in an op-ed published in the Slovakian newspaper Pravda, Fico said his EU and NATO allies "made a huge mistake" in dismissing early calls for a ceasefire on Russian terms. Rather, he said, Western powers "incorrectly evaluated the use of Russian military force as an opportunity to bring Russia to its knees."

As an anti-establishment populist hesitant to sever ties with Moscow, Fico appears to be a natural ally for Orbán. Ahead of last year's October election, Alena Kudzko—the vice president for policy and programming at the GLOBSEC think tank in Slovakia—told Newsweek that Fico's political pragmatism would shape much of his policy.

"He will not support Russia for the sake of supporting Russia, he will not support Orbán for the sake of supporting Orbán, and he will not support the EU or NATO for the sake of supporting the EU or NATO," she said.

"If it's necessary, he very may well go along with EU and NATO decisions," Kudzko continued. "But of, course, he may make sure that he is bargaining hard and that he's able to get certain concessions for Slovakia that are useful for him at home."

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.