Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called out his Irish counterpart, Micheál Martin for siding with the EU instead of supporting national sovereignty in a debate surrounding Hungary’s vetoes on Ukraine.
Writing on his X account, the Hungarian PM said:
We Hungarians have always regarded Irish patriots as champions of freedom and national independence. For us, Ireland is a symbol of liberty and sovereignty. For this reason, it is always shocking when we see that an Irish patriot chooses to stand on the side of an empire instead of national sovereignty.
Orbán was reacting to a Euronews interview with Micheál Martin who said that the European Union should pursue all instruments it has to stop an “unreasonable exploitation” of the veto mechanism. He argued that, if continued, this will make the EU unworkable.
The Irish PM joins a long list of top Europhile politicians who want to see the EU abolish unanimous voting and make all decisions dependent on qualified majorities only—even when it comes to foreign affairs.
Pro-sovereignty Hungary deeply rejects these proposals, and has used its ability to veto to stop numerous EU decisions that have gone against the interests of the country, including many on Ukraine.
The conservative government rejects the war-torn country’s fast-track accession to the EU, with Orbán saying it would be “economic suicide” for the 27-member bloc, and would be disrespectful to candidate nations in the Western Balkans who have been trying for many years to join the EU.
The Irish PM, however, believes that Ukraine must join the EU for geopolitical reasons.
