Hungary Won’t Vote on Sweden’s NATO Bid Until PMs Meet, ATV Says (www.bloomberg.com)
from MicroWave@lemmy.world to world@lemmy.world on 02 Feb 2024 19:01
https://lemmy.world/post/11497766

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban escalated a standoff with Western allies over Sweden’s NATO accession after a senior US lawmaker called for potential sanctions against the lone holdout.

Orban’s lawmakers won’t allow a parliamentary vote on ratifying Sweden’s bid until the Nordic country’s leader visits Budapest to meet with his Hungarian counterpart, ATV television reported, citing the ruling Fidesz party. They’ll also boycott a special session the opposition called for Monday on the accession, ATV said on its website.

Patience over Orban’s obstructionism is wearing thin both inside the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union. On Thursday, Orban finally dropped his opposition to a €50 billion ($54.4 billion) EU aid package for Ukraine after becoming the only of the bloc’s 27 leaders to veto it in December.

Hungary is the “least reliable” NATO member,” US Senator Ben Cardin, the Democratic chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement on Thursday. He urged the Biden administration to consider imposing sanctions on Hungary for corruption and also to weigh the possibility of scrapping its participation in a US visa-waiver program.

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louisinidus@lemmy.world on 02 Feb 2024 19:36 next collapse

Fuck orban jesus christ. Most insufferable leader

phoneymouse@lemmy.world on 02 Feb 2024 19:37 next collapse

Kick Hungary out of the EU?

rodolfo@lemmy.world on 02 Feb 2024 20:06 next collapse

not saying anything, but Orban ain’t immortal… sooner or later he’s going to leave the govt. europe should cut money just at the perfect time, so that people would blame following shitty scenario on this white, old style, European man.

oh, in Italy he’s highly regarded inside lega nord (Extreme far right, xenophobic, nationalist party now part of the government) and widely estimated, although not always explicitly, by fratelli d’Italia (far right, xenophobic, nationalist party now part of the government)

50gp@kbin.social on 02 Feb 2024 21:14 collapse

nothing the far right want more than to enrich themselves with public and eu money like orban

rodolfo@lemmy.world on 02 Feb 2024 21:17 collapse

that’s why europe should wait for the right moment to cut the sweet €€

GiddyGap@lemm.ee on 02 Feb 2024 23:02 collapse

Orban won’t last forever. Just look at Poland to see how fast things can change. Improvement is not guaranteed, but things can quickly change.

gregorum@lemm.ee on 02 Feb 2024 19:39 next collapse

ugh…

gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works on 02 Feb 2024 20:00 next collapse

I think what everyone is starting to understand is that Orban is going to hold out for a kickback every single time anyone else needs literally anything done quickly, in any context. They’re proving themselves to be a consistently awful international partner in any regard (unless, of course, you’re Russia).

I thought there was a glimmer of hope considering he finally acquiesced to funding relief and aid for Ukraine, but apparently not. Orban has been fucking around entirely too much, and he really needs to find out.

illi@lemm.ee on 02 Feb 2024 20:11 next collapse

I thought there was a glimmer of hope considering he finally acquiesced to funding relief and aid for Ukraine, but apparently not

I applaud your optimism. It’s clear his hnd was forced on this one.

gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works on 02 Feb 2024 20:21 collapse

Fwiw, it does actually look like they got him to change his position with some good old focused diplomacy. But I guess Putin’s still got his balls in a vice or something.

illi@lemm.ee on 03 Feb 2024 20:34 collapse

That had to be some next level diplomacy then. Good for them, I stand corrected

[deleted] on 02 Feb 2024 21:21 collapse
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Vub@lemmy.world on 02 Feb 2024 20:34 next collapse

Doing their best of making the entire world despise and laugh at Hungary.

[deleted] on 02 Feb 2024 21:28 next collapse
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GiddyGap@lemm.ee on 02 Feb 2024 23:03 next collapse

The Trump-asshat of the EU.

guacupado@lemmy.world on 03 Feb 2024 20:53 collapse

Sounds like someone trying to get an off-the-record deal.