The events of the past few days have once again highlighted the fragility of the relationship between the United States and Europe, particularly concerning the war in Ukraine. US policy increasingly points to a desire to end the war over the heads of those involved, while Europe does not seem to be finding the correct answers to the situation.
The first time I went to Moldova it was by accident. Spending my summer vacation with some friends in Romania, we planned to visit the Eastern part of the country – Moldavia. While English, and my native Hungarian, make a clear distinction between Moldova and Moldavia, the Romanian language does not. Both are Moldova – the region, and the country, too. That’s how I ended up in Moldova instead of Moldavia after a two-hour-long wait at the Sculeni border crossing, the main entry point to the Republic of Moldova from Romania.
Recent international events have underscored the resilience of the West and its commitment to defending democratic values and Ukraine. Despite internal divisions, a bipartisan Congressional decision in the United States allocated $100 billion in foreign aid to support Ukraine’s defense efforts against Russia. This decisive action, supported by Republican and Democratic majorities, demonstrated a unified stance against Russian aggression.
On 8 February, American journalist and conservative commentator Tucker Carlson interviewed the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, in the Kremlin. This was a highly anticipated and controversial event which drew much criticism: two liberal members of the European Parliament went as far as to suggest that Carlson could be sanctioned by EU authorities for acting as a mouthpiece of the Russian government – a possibility which the European Commission promptly ruled out.
In late March, the Hungarian parliament ratified Finland’s NATO membership, which led to joining it as a member a week later. At the time, some Hungarian officials “spent months telling counterparts that they had no objections, and their parliament was simply busy with other business,” as reported by Politico. “Budapest changed its narrative… with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán… arguing the point that some of his legislators had qualms regarding criticism of the state of Hungarian democracy.” While taking longer than perhaps hoped, the Hungarian parliament ultimately voted to ratify it by a margin of 182 to 6 on March 27.
In September 2022, seven months into Russia’s war in Ukraine, donations across the globe were already flooding in to help this proudly defiant nation. Daria Rybalchenko, executive director of the National Network for Local Philanthropy Development in Kyiv, needed to change course at the time by raising awareness, generating funds, and materializing effective tools to best assist her country. At 25, Rybalchenko now brings over five years of work in the private sector, having already overseen successful projects in this war-torn country that has earned universal admiration for its grit and determination.
On the same day as the Hungarian prime minister’s State of the Nation address, important international speeches were delivered as well. There is a stark contrast between Obán’s words, and the communication of other European leaders.
CEA Talks host Zoltán Kész interviews the ambassador of the Netherlands to Hungary, Désirée Bonis. The topics include the two countries’ business, cultural and historical connections, and some politics. Ms Bonis talks about the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland and how she imagines the war ending. From the EU point of view, corruption is a big problem in Hungary, and populism is threatening democracy worldwide. But after all, the EU is still a unique society of liberty and freedom, which we should all be proud of.
Hungary’s former ambassador to the NATO talks about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Hungarian approach to a war in the backyard, Viktor Orbán’s special relationship to Vladimir Putin, and how the Russians demanded the Hungarians to take him out in 1989. Host: Zoltán Kész Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shaken up the politics, economy and society […]
While Putin’s War on Ukraine has ravaged the entire continent with ramifications for world events for decades, many groups, citizens, and refugees in Poland continue to step up in a big way. Author: Jared Feldschreiber Ukrainians represent the biggest external community living in Poland. Ukraine House, based in the Muranów neighborhood of Warsaw, was formed as […]
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