FRIDAY, FEB 10, 2023 - 11:45 AM
Back in
March, Ukraine's President Zelensky during a virtual address shamed Hungary's
Viktor Orban, calling him out in a speech, saying "Listen,
Viktor, do you know what is happening in Mariupol?" - and adding: "I
want to be open once and for all you should decide for yourself, who you are
for."
But Friday was Orban's turn to send the message back, in a bit of a snub at an EU summit in Brussels
that has grabbed the attention of some Western media outlets as well as
commentators online. Friday marked Zelensky's third stop on a two-day tour
through European capitals, a first since the Russian invasion began. Zelensky
was greeted coldly by Orban, seen among the only EU leaders refusing to clap as
Ukraine's president jointed them on stage...
Video Link: https://twitter.com/i/status/1623704297379700738
Germany's Chancellor Scholz had said Wednesday night while alongside Zelensky and Macron in Paris that "It is a sign of solidarity. Ukrainians are part of the European family."
But
apparently PM Orban doesn't think so, or at least his refusal to laud and
celebrate the Ukrainian president as other EU leaders are doing has come through
loud and clear. In the above clip, Romania's President Klaus Iohannis isn't
clapping either, but he does have a smile on his face and appears pleased to
see Zelensky.
But Orban
hasn't been shy of late in his warnings that
Kiev is dragging Western Europe into a dangerous armed confrontation with
nuclear-armed superpower Russia. As one American journalist recorded of Orban's
words given to a group of foreign correspondents at the end of last month...
"We are in big, big trouble," he said, of the West. If Russia's coming
spring offensive proves successful, then the NATO countries are going to be
faced with the question of do we send in soldiers to fight for Ukraine? This is
not something Orban thinks the American people are considering, but it
is front to mind among a growing number of Europeans, whose countries stand to
be devastated if war spreads.
Ukraine was
of course outraged at such warnings, while it continues to lobby the West for
more and more tanks, longer-range missiles, and especially advanced fighter
jets.
Zelensky on
Thursday continued to urge that his country be fast-tracked into NATO while it
is fighting
the "most anti-European force" in the world.
But as one
observer comments, the whole meeting resulted in little other than symbolism:
Reporting from Brussels, FRANCE 24’s Dave Keating
said Ukrainian President Zelensky was "hitting the same themes" on
European unity and values during the press conference following his European
Council meeting.
But the Ukrainian president did get some tough questions from
journalists at the end, when he was asked if there were any specific
deliverables promised during his meetings in Brussels and in Paris last night,
noted Keating.
Video Link: https://twitter.com/i/status/1623694141715521537
Keating emphasized that "President Zelensky
didn’t want to sound overly negative," and added: "We always knew there wasn’t going to be a big
deliverable. This was very much about symbolism."
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Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/watch-viktor-orban-gives-zelensky-icy-reception-eu-summit
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