Orban says EU trying to impose values, criticizes Ukraine strategy

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban used an annual forum in Romania to lash out at Western allies, whom he claimed are trying to impose foreign values on his country, and criticize EU and US strategy on Ukraine.

“The strength, the performance, the prestige and the capacity to act of Western civilization are on the wane,” the right-wing and Moscow-friendly politician told thousands of supporters in the Romanian resort town of Baile Tusnad on Saturday.

Orban described himself as a defender of Hungary’s cultural and political identity from bureaucrats in “Brussels.”

In a familiar refrain, he peddled the conspiracy theory that the Hungarian-US billionaire philanthropist and investor George Soros was actually the one setting European policy.

Soros, a Holocaust survivor and pro-democracy champion, is frequently cast as a far-left bogeyman by Orban. The vilification of Soros has been widely denounced as anti-Semitic.

“They should live as they want, but they should also let us live as we want,” Orban demanded, alluding to an EU infringement case over a Hungarian law restricting restricting access to information on LGBTQ issues.

Orban also touched on the war in Ukraine, criticizing the West for ignoring Russia’s security concerns before Moscow invaded.

“With US president (Donald) Trump and German chancellor (Angela) Merkel, this war would never have happened,” he said, apparently guided by the assessment that these politicians – like him – would have stood for more Russia-friendly policies.