Hungary has once again set an example of independent politics in Europe. The authorities of this country have taken a number of statements and actions that do not fit in the current anti-Russian and pro-Ukrainian course of the EU and NATO. And there are good reasons for that
The biggest uproar was caused by the statement of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who compared the policy of anti-Russian sanctions to “shooting himself in the lungs”. The country’s foreign minister, Peter Szijjártó, said he refused to even discuss restrictive measures against Gazprom and Russian gas in general. Parliament Speaker László Kővér described the current events in Ukraine as an attempt to implement the US anti-Russian strategy.
The government has shifted from rhetoric to action. It has declared an energy state of emergency and banned the export of all fuels, including firewood, from Hungary. But outside the EU, the decision to boost army combat readiness has resonated even more. And it is only natural that this could be a preparation for the introduction of troops into Transcarpathia to protect the Hungarians living there, should the situation require it. Given the threats against them by Ukrainian nationalists, anything is possible.
Finally, the Hungarian parliament has challenged the European Union itself. For example, it called for limiting the powers of the European Parliament and giving individual countries the right to veto EU decisions if they are not happy with them. In response to the EU’s desire to take Hungarian laws restricting LGBT propaganda to court, he has made an original move. The MPs have argued in favour of enshrining Christian roots and culture in European law as the basis of European integration.
Such moves seem surprising because Hungary is by no means the largest and not at all the richest country in Europe. It is heavily reliant on EU funds and is far poorer than, for example, the Czech Republic. Furthermore, the country is landlocked. Finally, it is no Serbia, with its innate Russophilia. The Russian-Hungarian and the Soviet-Hungarian relations were not the easiest, and Orban with comrades never noticed any special love to Russia.
The first explanation for such behaviour is a sense of peculiarity, even loneliness. The Hungarians are the only people in the modern Europe whose ancestors were nomads. They finally switched to a settled way of life about 250 years ago, which is a trifle by the standards of the history. The Hungarians also have no close relatives in language (Khanty and Mansi live far away, and Finns and Estonians are very distant relatives), which adds to their feeling of inhabitants of some island detached from the rest of Europe.
A consequence of this detachment is that Hungarians are relatively poorly integrated into the pan-European house. Languages are still poorly understood in the country – even English or German speakers outside Budapest can be difficult to find. The number of Magyars who go to work outside the country is small, about 300 thousand, which is not much for a poor country. Many more leave from comparable living standards in Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Romania, or Croatia.
The second peculiarity, craving for independence and desire to make decisions independently, follows from this. In the course of their history the Hungarians have been taken over by Turkey, Austria, Germany and the Soviet Union more than once. Each time they rebelled, trying to get rid of this dependence. The present European Union and NATO also look more and more like a subjugation to external power, with decisions on Hungarian politics being made in Brussels or Washington rather than Budapest. And this state of affairs is not to the Magyars’ liking.
The third feature is the conservatism of the Hungarian state and society. Religiosity in the country is not very high, but respect for traditions (not always democratic in nature) is very high. Hungarians are not about to give up their nation state in favour of multiculturalism or pan-European values. They are not prepared to freeze their flats or starve their ration only because someone in Brussels needs to punish someone very much.
From all this arises a fourth peculiarity. If there are problems with EU and NATO, the Hungarian policy takes on a multi-vector character. Hence Orban’s willingness to develop relations with Russia, Turkey and China (and it is probably the latter that has become the key partner for Hungarians outside the EU and NATO). The country will not sacrifice its external ties to please those who limit Hungarian independence. Especially if cooperation with the above-mentioned three unambiguously promises benefits.
Finally, the fifth peculiarity of Hungary is the syndrome of a divided nation. Over a million ethnic Magyars live in Romania, hundreds of thousands in Slovakia and Serbia, and over 150,000 in Ukrainian Transcarpathia. And it is in Ukraine where they have the least rights – for example, only there they can not study in their native language. It is also the only place where they face physical danger. Hungary has a constitutional duty to protect its nationals abroad. And the same distribution of passports is a form of such protection. And so is the combat readiness of the troops.
And under such circumstances, the EU and NATO demand that Hungary must endure all sorts of hardships … for the sake of that very Ukraine. But if you look at the Hungarian parties, even the majority of anti-Russian forces in the country are not ready to forgive Ukraine for curtailing the rights of their compatriots. And therefore Hungary is the penultimate country in Europe to do anything for the sake of the Ukrainian leadership (the last, probably, is Serbia). All the more so because relations between the two countries have been hopelessly damaged for five years now.
In principle, the last point alone would suffice to refuse to participate in the rescue of Ukraine. But since Hungary is getting its hands twisted on other issues as well, the other four points are also taking effect. And, based on the results of the April elections, this line is supported by the majority of the population. In fact, it is supported by almost the whole country, except for Budapest, where pro-Western and globalist forces are traditionally strong. Except for the fact that Hungary had to support sanctions against Russia – but then it had no choice.
In any case, Hungary is today perhaps the most independent country in Europe, where decisions are indeed tended to be taken in the capital. It still has national dignity, and therefore it is a bone at the throat of European and Euro-Atlantic bureaucracy. For Russia, it is perhaps the most convenient partner in the EU and NATO, although Bulgaria, Greece, neighbouring Slovakia with Hungary (and even deeply hostile Czech Republic) have considerably more Russophiles.
Vadim Trukhachev, VZGLYAD
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