EU officials blast Hungary’s Orban over Ukraine stance, democratic decline

Lawmakers belt out antifascist anthem, prompting European Parliament president to declare: ‘This is not Eurovision’.

Top European Union officials have slammed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban over democratic backsliding at home and his Russia-friendly stance that has blocked military and financial aid to Ukraine.

Orban, whose country currently holds the EU’s six-month rotating presidency, came under fire on Wednesday after warning officials gathered in Strasbourg, France, about the “migration crisis” and the war in Ukraine as he addressed the European Parliament.

Leading the charge against Orban, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took aim at Budapest’s stalling of EU support for Kyiv and refusal to join Western efforts to arm Ukraine to fight off Moscow.

“The world has witnessed the atrocities of Russia’s war. And yet, there are still some who blame this war not on the invader but the invaded,” said von der Leyen.

“There are still some who blame this war not on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s lust for power but on Ukraine’s thirst for freedom.”

In July, Orban stoked controversy when he travelled on what the Hungarian government described as a “peace mission” to Moscow and Beijing without coordinating with EU partners.