In early 2019, the IIB –revived by Vladimir Putin himself and built on the remnants of the USSR’s Comecon bank- moved its headquarters to Budapest.Continue reading
Donald Tusk, former President of the European Council, President of the European People’s Party (EPP), and leader of the largest Polish opposition party, expressed his criticism about Hungary, among other countries, regarding the sanctions targeted at Russia.
He tweeted:
In this war everything is real: Putin’s madness and cruelty, Ukrainian victims, bombs falling on Kyiv. Only your sanctions are pretend. Those EU governments which blocked tough decisions (i.e. Germany, Hungary, Italy) have disgraced themselves. “
As 444 reports, Tusk refers to the fact that the European Council failed to reach a decision on really tough sanctions on Thursday night, as the leaders of several member states urged the community to be cautious, fearing for their own economic interests. According to leaked reports, the German Chancellor and the Hungarian and Italian prime ministers were on the soft side. Tusk does not mention it, but some sources say that the Austrian and Cypriot leaders were also in favor of this.
After the summit, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said: “We have issued a joint condemnation of Russia’s military action against Ukraine and decided on uniform sanctions.” He also stressed that the uniform sanctions agreed to leave out energy, so the energy supply of Hungary and the other EU member states “is guaranteed.”
Orbán also warned against “hasty and irresponsible statements,” which he believes would only aggravate the situation and endanger the safety of the European population.
Featured image: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (on the right) and Donald Tusk (on the left), then President of the European Council, meeting in Nagyszeben on the day of the Special European Union Summit on May 9, 2019. Photo by Balázs Szécsődi/Prime Minister’s Press Office/MTI
