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Why did Orbán's envoys go to Washington?
Summary
A look back at the Hungarian delegation's meeting with US Republicans, days after Budapest restated its opposition to Ukraine's EU accession talks.
What did Hungarian representatives hope to achieve in Washington on 11 December 2023? According to reports at the time, envoys of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met United States Republicans to discuss ending EU and US military support to Ukraine.
The meeting came three days after Orbán reiterated, on 8 December 2023, Hungary's opposition to opening EU accession talks with Ukraine. He cited concerns about Ukraine's readiness and the potential economic impact on the EU.
Two tracks, one position
Taken together, the two reports show Budapest working on two fronts: refusing to endorse Ukraine's path towards EU membership and, through its representatives, engaging US Republicans on halting Western military aid. The first concerned the question of enlargement; the second concerned military support from both the EU and the United States.
The Washington meeting was not described as producing any agreement. What it showed was a Hungarian government taking its objections beyond Brussels and addressing them to a party in the United States, where the fate of military aid to Ukraine was also under discussion.
