Hungary's 'peace mission' reveals a split within the EU

Editor's note: Azhar Azam, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, works in a private organization as a market and business analyst and writes about geopolitical issues and regional conflicts. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

The EU foreign affairs meeting was held in Brussels on August 29. The informal summit originally scheduled under the rotating presidency of the EU council, Hungary, was moved to the Belgian capital over Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's "peace missions" to peacefully resolve the Ukraine conflict.

"We have to send a signal, even if this is a symbolic signal," said Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, announcing the change of venue. Stripping Budapest of its right to hold the meeting prompted a swift condemnation from Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto who said, "What a fantastic response they have come up with…it feels like being in a kindergarten."

While this is unfortunate in the 21st century that a country is criticized, penalized and stigmatized for making efforts to start peace negotiations and seek a diplomatic solution of the conflict, it also reveals a clear divide in the Union.

Budapest has a keen interest in resolving the conflict given it is one of Ukraine's neighboring countries, and is directly exposed to economic shocks as well spillover effects of the conflict. Yet Budapest's concerns were not addressed, leading into a messy situation and differences within the EU.

Szijjarto is critical of Europe's peace approach and policy of following the U.S., a country with a long history of fanning the flames of war the world over. Stating Europe had no peace strategy and there was no consensus across the continent on key issues, Szijjarto said that he didn't understand why the continent was copying America with no voice of its own.

His remarks echoed those of French President Emmanuel Macron who has been urging the EU not to become a U.S. "vassal," saying it should become independent and self-reliant. Szijjarto's Facebook post, complaining about Brussels failing to ensure oil supplies for its own members, indicated a growing frustration and declining trust in the bloc's ability to protect interests of its fellow states.

The Hungarian foreign minister views all this as a fallout of Orban's multi-nation trips to promote peace. Early last month, Orban launched his "peace mission," meeting the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and asking him to consider a ceasefire to speed up the peace talks and make his contributions to solve the biggest EU challenge. Hungary's president also offered his country's support to modernize Ukraine's economy, describing his pro-peace approach and intent to play a role to rebuild Ukraine.

While Orban's trip to Ukraine was itself a silent endorsement of his peace efforts by Kyiv, in a follow-up of his "peace mission," he went to Russia and discussed the prospects of a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict. Some European officials criticized him even though he has been a longtime proponent of a cessation of hostilities to secure Europe and several other European leaders had also made such attempts.

The White House voiced concern, asserting the visit would "not advance the cause of peace" although the mission had just begun, exposing America's efforts to derail any potential peace process in addition to undressing its restiveness about the success of a ceasefire in a conflict that is helping the U.S. arms industry to thrive, yet ravaging European economies.

In the final leg of his trip, Orban arrived in China, which has also offered a peace plan to discuss a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Stating it was in the interest of all countries to seek a political solution through an early ceasefire, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that the international community should create conditions for the resumption of direct dialogue and negotiations between the two sides and provide assistance.

China's Ukraine peace plan – covering important areas such as respecting sovereignty of all countries, resuming talks after ceasing hostilities and protecting civilians – has been widely debated and supported by countries worldwide. This underscored the global embrace of Beijing's peace proposal and the world's rejection of the U.S. propaganda that China was helping Russia by supplying dual-use goods.

The Ukraine conflict has not only inflicted serious damage on Europe but also the entire world. This "wartime psychosis," fueled by the U.S., could trigger a hemorrhage of the European economy, making it even more dependent on America. Moreover, a prolonged conflict will adversely affect the rest of the world.

A broad split within the EU on the shift of the meeting's venue and an intensifying belief across many European countries on the negotiated solution of the conflict is an explicit renunciation of the U.S.-imposed pro-war approach on the bloc, revealing the intent of several EU nations to regain the autonomy of developing an independent policy, which serves their own interests and bring peace to the region.

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