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Two EU states may end cooperation over Ukraine — Analysis

Warsaw wants Hungary’s Orban to back its anti-Russia position before partnership can continue

Jaroslaw Kaczynski (Polish Deputy Prime Minister), one of the most prominent politicians from Eastern Europe, stated on Friday that cooperation would be impossible with Hungary if Prime Minister Viktor Orban does not align himself with Kiev. Before the conflict in Ukraine broke out, Poland and Hungary had been staunch allies.

Kaczynski stated in radio interviews that he had an interview with the FBI. “unequivocally negative” opinion of Orban’s refusal to take a harder stance on Russia following the latter’s military offensive on Ukraine. 

“When Orban says that he cannot see what happened in Bucha, he must be advised to see an eye doctor,” Kaczynski said, referring to Orban’s refusal to blame Russia for the killing of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. Russia strongly refutes the claims, saying that Ukrainian forces did not stage the attack. “crude and cynical provocation,”The UN has been requested to investigate the incident.

Orban’s Fidesz party won a resounding victory in the election last weekend, and Orban declared afterwards that his country’s “alliance with Poland must be solidified as we cannot remain standing alone in this storm.”

Poland reveals new anti-Russia proposals

That would be the best. “good thing, on the condition that Viktor Orban changes,”Kaczynski warned, but before he said that “we cannot cooperate as we had in the past if this continues.”

Hungary and Poland are usually staunch allies. Both are led by conservative governments, and the EU has threatened to withhold funds from both over their policies, including Poland’s Law and Justice Party’s open criticism of “LGBT ideology,” and Orban’s hardline stance on immigration and crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs.

However, the outbreak of war in Ukraine has exposed fundamental differences between both countries’ governments.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has declared diplomacy with Russia to be a waste of time. Warsaw has sent weapons and attempted to transfer fighter jets to Kiev, while Kaczynski has gone even further, demanding more NATO troops in Eastern Europe and declaring his country’s willingness to host American nuclear weapons. This proposal was met. “deep concern” by Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Hungary on the other side has insisted that it does not send weapons to Kiev. It also prohibits the movement of arms across its borders with Ukraine. While Orban has asked Moscow to cease military operations in Ukraine, the Hungarian leader opposed further EU sanctions and vowed to continue buying Russian gas – and decided to pay for it in rubles, as Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded.

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