October 28, 2025, 2:40 p.mOctober 28, 2025, 3:06 p.m
Hungary’s right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban is aiming for a “Ukraine-skeptical” alliance with the EU states Czech Republic and Slovakia. Orban’s political advisor Balazs Orban told the Politico portal.
He wants to in the future with his Slovakian colleague Robert Fico and the likely future Czech Prime Minister, Andrej Babisalways vote on common positions before EU summit meetings.
Although a solid political alliance between the three countries is not yet in sight, this could significantly hinder the EU’s efforts to support Ukraine financially and militarily, Politico continued.
“I think it (the Ukraine-skeptical bloc) will come – and it will become more and more visible.”said advisor Orban – who is not related to Hungary’s head of government – according to the information. The Cooperation between the eastern EU countries “worked very well” during the refugee crisis of 2015he said, referring to the Visegrad alliance, which formally includes Poland as well as the three countries.
Right and left, yet familiar: Orban and Fico.Image: keystone
However, relations between Hungary and Poland have cooled significantly precisely because of different positions on the Ukraine-Russia issue.
Criticism of the EU’s Ukraine policy from Bratislava and Prague
The Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has repeatedly made critical comments about Ukraine and repeatedly described it as a “totally corrupt country”, but ultimately did not support the blockade steps against Kiev at the EU level that Budapest had demanded.
Babis, on the other hand, who recently won the parliamentary election in the Czech Republic and is likely to become the new prime minister in Prague, has spoken out against funds for arms deliveries to Ukraine from the Czech state budget. He also wants to stop the Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine. However, observers expect that Babis will tone down his campaign rhetoric after taking office as head of government.
The third in the group: Andrej Babis.Image: keystone
Babis’ ANO and Orban’s Fidesz are already working closely together in the “Patriots for Europe” group in the EU Parliament. Fico’s Smer party, on the other hand, has always defined itself as a left-wing party. (rbu/sda/dpa)