Conflict: How can Russia be understood when basic premise of free opinion about her is deemed ‘’very risky’’?

16.01.2018

Throughout the latter half of 2017, western pundits regurgitated more than a few headlines about Orbán as various ‘’creative’’ attempts painted him as some sort of Russian Trojan horse allowing his state to be captured by Russia, almost as if playing a losing round of Risk. Even relatively minor events seemed to upset EU officials if the name Putin appeared as having any connection to its institutions.

The reverberating echoes of Putin’s honorary award from the University of Debrecen spread like wildfire and various fireballs in the form of Mihaly Vajda, the renowned Hungarian philosopher, did their part in making sure that society understood his message by resigning from his post as Professor Emeritus. A message both to the EU and President Putin.

Everything is clear.

The EU project must be one where all its agents follow the same basic agenda – Don’t even bother with your neutral rhetoric towards Russia, it’s far too close to the opposite, polar and very frosty ‘’favourable side’’. The Hungarian PM has repeatedly argued against such rhetoric. The interview with Germany’s ‘’Welt Am Sonntag’’, once again showed Orbán’s critical stance to this continued EU policy towards Russia and he didn’t refrain from calling it what it was – bad.

Comments from Orbán carried statements that could please both sides of the debate, but as evident by the ‘’unbiased’’ framework of Russia-related matters, even mentioning any indication towards cooperation with EU’s 4th largest trading partner is not what ‘’good European’’ behaviour is all about.

Being a ”Good European”.

His opinion of what the EU-ingrained beliefs have become might hit home in the hearts of many; To be a good European requires a firm critique of Russian leaders and uttering ‘’half a phrase’’ in favour is risky.

Even as Russo-Hungarian trade increased by 27% in 2017 despite western sanctions, being a good European requires one to carry out this trade in silence and leaders are not allowed to meet without accusations being splashed in your face that your country has been captured by the enemy state. As a reflection of the previous year when President Putin appeared in Hungary in time for the World Judo Championships, it was simply considered groundless to schedule a meeting with the Prime Minister, doing so was an action of grave despicableness in the minds of EU officials. As the saying goes: The silence is deafening!

But what a start to 2018. He’s now facing backlash from Jobbik over his ‘’lenient’’ policy towards, what he himself calls ‘’Muslim Invaders’’. As Hungary admitted 1, 300 asylum seekers last year, he has been deemed ‘’not stringent enough’’. Even the Polish-Hungarian friendship, both facing infringements regarding their defiance against the imposed EU quota system, are at odds over Russia. Orbán’s stance on the matter has caused havoc wherever it may be.

Such is the tragedy of Mr. Orbán, yet another deemed Kremlin-affiliated agent. I wrote some days ago about my new revamped version of Miller’s ‘’The Crucible’’, and I can safely put the PM as yet another victim of the Kremlin Trolls Trials facing the noose.

Dennis Vance is a writer and blogger based in Moscow, Russia. He started the Kremlinology blog in 2016 and has continued to write about Russian affairs, geopolitics and everything in between.