EP condemns Orbán's recent trip to Moscow as "blatant violation" of EU treaties

The European Parliament (EP) adopted a resolution on supporting Ukraine on Wednesday. The document has no legal consequences as foreign affairs are a matter for member states, and common decisions relating to foreign policy can only be taken by unanimity.

The resolution is the first since the body was re-elected in June, with Hungary's Tisza Party and Mi Hazánk now having representatives in the chamber, with the latter having joined the Europe of Sovereign Nations group and Fidesz-KDNP having joined the Patriots for Europe group.

The final vote did not seem to suggest that the increase in the number of far-right MEPs had made the body significantly more pro-Russian. In the final vote, the proposal received 495 votes in favour, 137 against and there were 47 abstentions.

According to the EP's resolution, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán “blatantly violated the EU's founding treaties and common foreign policy" when he travelled to Russia on a "peace mission" shortly after the beginning of Hungary's EU presidency. The text states that there should be repercussions for this. The body described the Hungarian Prime Minister's alleged peace efforts as "irrelevant", as evidenced by the attack on a Ukrainian children's hospital shortly after his departure from Moscow.

MEPs welcomed the decision to use the confiscated assets of the Russian central bank to support Ukraine's military efforts (the decision was taken bypassing the Hungarian government, which is currently exploring the legal options available to it). MEPs are calling for the EU and member states to increase military assistance as long as and when it is needed.

The text reiterates the EP's continued support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders (i.e. Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, should be returned). The body also calls on the European Union to keep and broaden the sanctions against Russia and Belarus (A decision on these, as has been the case for all 14 packages, is taken unanimously by member states).

Tisza did not agree with all of it, DK did

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Péter Magyar, deputy chairman of the Tisza Party, said that they could not endorse the draft resolution on Ukraine in its entirety. The original text is unacceptable to them in many respects, and he had already communicated this to Manfred Weber, the leader of the EPP. One of the things Magyar disagreed with was that the text would accuse Viktor Orbán of abusing his veto power when it comes to supporting Ukraine.

In a Facebook post prior to the meeting, DK MEP Klára Dobrev indicated that the representatives of DK would vote in favour of the resolution on Ukraine in its entirety, and that "Fidesz and Tisza MEPs should be ashamed of themselves". Among other things, she wrote: "We refuse to defend Viktor Orbán when he is working against the nation. We will not accept him flying around the globe in our name as an agent of Vladimir Putin and working against common European interests. We will vote in favour, because anyone who votes against supporting Ukraine is also voting against Hungary's security and independence", she said, and added that they do not want "Russian tanks on the Hungarian border again". DK's MEP also stated that "Viktor Orbán disregards the values enshrined in the EU's founding treaty on a daily basis".

Cover photo: Alexis Haulot / European Parliament / European Union