V4 cooperation to freeze? Czechs, Poles remain home, Hungary cancels defence meeting
Hungary would have hosted the next defence meeting of the Visegrád Four cooperation consisting of Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland. However, the Poles and the Czechs already cleared they would not come because of the Ukraine policy of the Hungarian government. As it is well-known, Warsaw and Prague are among the hardliners regarding Putin’s war against Russia.
Anti-Russia, pro-Russia?
Poland even offered its MIG-29 warplanes to Ukraine, but the United States baulked that plan fast. However, two days before, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said Washington supported the idea. Therefore, it is up to Warsaw now whether they will send those planes or not. The Czech Republic is also among the hardliners when it comes to sanctions against Russia. For example, they would like to implement sanctions on Russian energy. Furthermore, both nations support weapon transports toward Ukraine though the Czechs do not share a border with the war-stricken country.
Meanwhile, the Hungarian government said they would not support the extension of sanctions on Russian energy because that would mean rising heating prices and Hungary’s industrial breakdown. In that respect, Budapest follows Berlin’s standpoint. Furthermore, the Orbán government does not allow lethal military equipment to cross the Hungarian-Ukrainian border. They say such shipments would endanger the Hungarian minority that lives on the Ukrainian side.
Defence meeting postponed
We wrote earlier that János Áder was supposed to visit the city of Bochnia in Poland on 23rd March, on the occasion of the day of Polish-Hungarian friendship. However, the Hungarian president did not go because the Polish president did not want to meet with him because of Hungary’s standpoint regarding the Russian invasion.
Blikk.hu wrote today that Hungary is to cancel the defence meeting of the Visegrád Four countries planned for this Wednesday in Budapest. Both the Czech and the Polish governments cleared they would not come since they disagree with the Orbán cabinet’s Ukraine policy.
According to the information from the Slovakian Ministry of Defence, Hungary received harsh criticism from Poland and the Czech Republic. Wojciech Skurkiewicz, the Polish Deputy Minister of Defence, said that observing what goes around the V4 cooperation does not give a reason for optimism.
The Czech Minister of Defence, Jana Černochová, cancelled the defence meeting in Budapest last Friday. Her Polish colleague, Mariusz Błaszczak, did the same Monday evening. “I am very sorry that cheap Russian oil is more important for Hungarian politicians than Ukrainian blood” – Černochová said.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said it was hard to understand PM Orbán’s attitude towards Ukraine. The Polish Foreign Minister added Orbán made a mistake regarding its Russia and Ukraine policy.