War

One thousand four hundred and sixty-fourth day. The European Union is discussing how to make concessions to Orban so that he will unblock aid to Ukraine. He has an election soon - and he may lose

Since February 24, 2022, Meduza has been broadcasting live about the Russian-Ukrainian war. We publish your letters every day because we are sure that we need to continue talking about the war. Share with us your thoughts about the war. What feelings are you experiencing? How does war affect your life and your attitude towards the world? If you have a story related to the war, tell it . The feedback form is at the end of this article. A review of the previous day can be read here .

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Leaders of the European Union are looking for ways to make concessions to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban so that he stops blocking the allocation of new financial assistance needed by Ukraine and the adoption of a new package of anti-Russian sanctions. Politico writes about this with reference to sources.

According to the publication, Brussels is looking for an opportunity to provide Orban with some kind of “victory” that he could present to voters in Hungary ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 12. Polls show that Orban's Fidesz party could lose the election, and he could lose the post of prime minister, which he has held since 2010.

Hungary is one of two European countries (along with Slovakia) that still receives Russian gas via pipeline. For many years, Orbán has publicly defended the position that this is necessary for Hungary’s energy security - and is in conflict with the European Union, where they believe that all EU countries should abandon Russian hydrocarbons. In November, he said his government would take the EU to court over a community-level decision to completely stop buying Russian gas after 2027.

The gas that Hungary and Slovakia receive comes from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline through Ukraine. Since January 27, the transit was interrupted - as the Ukrainian side claimed, this was due to a Russian drone strike on one of the pipeline facilities in the Lviv region. The authorities of Hungary and Slovakia, in turn, blamed Ukraine for this, accusing it of “hostile actions.”

A few days ago, Orban announced that he would block the already agreed upon 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions, which was planned to be adopted on the fourth anniversary of the start of the great war. “We will not remain idle while the Druzhba oil pipeline is closed. We will ensure fuel supplies to Hungary and take the necessary countermeasures until supplies are resumed,” the Hungarian Prime Minister said.

In the end, the package was not adopted, and Politico calls this unexpected escalation “one of the worst internal crises in the EU in recent years.” At the same time, due to Hungary’s position, the allocation of a loan to Ukraine in the amount of 90 billion euros for defense needs, which had previously been agreed upon by the European Commission, was not approved.

Today, Orban wrote an open letter to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, in which he demanded the immediate opening of Friendship. In the letter, he stated that Zelensky, with the support of Brussels, is trying to “drag Hungary into a war” and wants to “bring a pro-Ukrainian government to power in Hungary.”

Previously, politicians in Brussels have repeatedly, including publicly, proposed temporarily depriving Hungary of its voting rights in the EU - this is provided for in one of the articles of the Treaty on European Union in the event that one of the member states systematically violates the principles of democracy and the rule of law.

However, now, Politico writes, this option is not being considered, since legal procedures will require too much time, and the aid package for Ukraine needs to be approved as soon as possible, since Kyiv may run out of money by April. Therefore, according to the publication, Brussels intends to look for a “political solution” and publicly meet Orban halfway.

“He’s going to get his damn pipeline,” one diplomat familiar with the negotiations told Politico. “The Friendship story is completely implausible, but he needs a victory in his campaign.”

War in photographs. Residents of Kyiv are hiding from shelling in the metro

War through the eyes of Meduza readers

How we choose letters

Meduza's readers live in different countries and have different attitudes towards the war. We publish your letters to see this event through your eyes. Our editors try to present all points of view, even if they do not coincide with the editorial position. However, in accordance with the Meduza code, we do not publish messages that contain “hate speech,” justify the murder of civilians, or express direct support for an aggressive war.

Alla (Far Eastern Federal District) . Every day I feel like a hostage in my own country, which I actually love very much (not to identify with the authorities of this country, I despise these people for the most part). Already for three of my significant life positions, including anti-war, you can get a fine or even a prison term. I can’t leave yet, so I chose a quiet protest. Carefully try to convince pro-government people around or at least provide them with access to alternative sources of information. Also protest with street art. The protest is that I try not to allow ghouls to drive me into hopelessness and poverty, despite several chronic diseases.

You might think that, six time zones from Moscow, the war seems too far away, and this is partly true. But when you and your friend and her child were almost killed by a drunken gangster, when another friend’s fiancé was taken to the front again, as soon as he recovered from his wounds, when every friend and girlfriend also has a story about how they were (almost) harmed by “heroes”, and those who don’t have them - they left the country, and you can no longer walk with them, drink tea, or engage in joint creativity, it is approaching. It’s scary to even imagine what it’s like when shelling is added to all this.

I don't think real fighting will ever reach my city (the Chinese or Japanese will probably get us, haha), but the process of moral exhaustion is still present. I want not to lose, to survive, to pass on to my descendants the intolerance of war, which my Russian school first of all instilled in me. Apparently, my generation will no longer live in a progressive, developed, calm Russia. But maybe, after all, at least our children?

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