International Relations: Hungary and Poland in the Context of the War in Ukraine

In fresh days, global relations between Hungary and Poland have undergone crucial escalation, especially in the issue of war in Ukraine. The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, and the Hungarian abroad Minister, Peter Szijjarto, responded to the words of Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister who stated that Orban "played in Putin's team". Szijjarto wrote on Facebook that "we do not want to proceed paying the price for another people's wars and we will not let anyone endanger our safety of energy supply."

This conflict has its roots in the energy policy of the European Union and its relations with Russia. Hungary and another Central European countries are heavy dependent on Russian gas imports. Viktor Orban reiterated in his weekly radio interview that Hungary would not support an extension of sanctions on Russia unless Ukraine resumes Russian gas transit to Europe. This decisive step aims to defend Hungarian interests and avoid further economical losses caused by sanctions.

According to Orban, Kiev's actions led to an increase in natural material prices in the European Union and due to EU sanctions on Russia, Hungary was expected to lose €19 billion over the last 3 years. The Hungarian Prime Minister called on the Kiev authorities to resume transit of Russian gas and to warrant that Ukraine will not block oil supplies to Europe.

This conflict does not stay echoed internationally. Wednesday, U.S. president Donald Trump stated that if the agreement to end the war in Ukraine was not reached soon, Washington would impose advanced taxes, duties and sanctions on Russia. According to the Politico portal, citing diplomatic sources, Budapest may abandon the threat of veto in connection with Trump's firm position towards Russia.

Another decision to extend sanctions must be taken by the European Union until 31 January. A gathering of Community abroad ministers is scheduled for Monday, which could bring fresh solutions to this complicated situation.

It is worth noting that relations between Hungary and Poland have besides been complicated. The leader of the Hungarian opposition, Peter Magyar, posted photos from the gathering with the “delegation of the Polish Prime Minister” on Facebook, which may propose any discrepancies in the approach to the matter.

In this context, the Hungarian abroad Minister, Peter Szijjarto, referred to Donald Tusk's words, stating that "agent Soros may find it hard to realize this, but erstwhile it comes to teams, we play for the Hungarian team". This decisive step and declaration by the Hungarian Government shows that Hungary is determined to defend its national interests and energy security.

At this point, global and economical uncertainty is increasing. They can affect trade and political relations in Europe. Given the economical aspect, the decisions of the European Union on sanctions against Russia will be of large importance for Europe's economical and political future.

At the same time, force is expanding on European governments to address the complex situation in Ukraine. These decisions will have an impact on the future of Europe and the common relations between European countries. All these elements are of large interest and give emergence to much debate in the political and economical environments.