Steven N.
As a member of the European Union and NATO, Hungary must condemn President Putin’s aggression against Ukraine. We, the opposition alliance, declare our support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as for the defense of our ethnic Hungarian brothers and sisters living in Ukraine, and stand against Russian aggression.
-stated Péter Márki-Zay at an online press conference on Thursday morning broadcasted live on Facebook.
The prime ministerial candidate for Hungary’s united opposition said that Viktor Orbán had betrayed the Hungarian nation, the European Union, and NATO when he “gave a Russian ‘spy bank’ diplomatic immunity and allowed it into Budapest, on the territory of the European Union,” or when arms smugglers wanted by the USA were handed over to Russia instead.
Unfortunately, it has now become clear that Viktor Orbán is an unreliable ally of the European Union and NATO.
-claimed Márki-Zay.
The opposition is demanding that the Hungarian government suspend licensing for the Paks II nuclear power plant expansion project, which is being carried out with Russian loans and expertise. He also demanded the immediate expulsion of Russia’s International Investment Bank from Hungary.
Márki-Zay then announced that United for Hungary was organizing a protest against Russian aggression in front of the Russian Embassy building at 7:00pm this evening. The event will provide an opportunity for the opposition to express its solidarity with ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia and the Ukrainian people.
Two days ago, the united opposition’s candidate for prime minister called on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to “firmly distance himself” from Russian aggression.
Telex is currently following the events of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on a minute-by-minute basis (in Hungarian) here. [Telex]
Great comments by MZP and the Hungarian opposition. The actual background of Orban’s appeasement policy regarding Putin, as MZP commented, helped embolden Putin. For sure, Fidesz will not be represented at the demonstration in front of the Russian embassy, let alone Orban.
I really wish all the parties could have been represented at the embassy, and Hungarians of all political stripes! This shouldn’t be a political/campaign issue but yes, one party seems to be a lot more pro-Russian than the other so that’s unlikely I guess…