This edition of State of the Union looks at the NATO summit in Washington and the negative reactions to Viktor Orbán’s self-proclaimed peace mission to Moscow and Beijing.
It has been a bad week for nationalist and populist forces.
French voters surprised keep the far right out of power in the second round of the early legislative elections. At European level, the proliferation of far-right parliamentary groups is fragmenting populist influence in the European Parliament.
And the self-proclaimed knight of peace, Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has discovered the hard way how little influence he has in the real world. Within days of assuming Hungary’s semi-annual presidency of the EU Council, Orbán traveled to Moscow and Beijing on what he pompously called a “peace mission” to end the war in Ukraine.
He returned empty handed
“No one has the right without Ukraine, and in the name of Ukraine, to decide on future peace and its form“said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who will take over the presidency of the EU Council in January.
“No one has the right to speak on behalf of Poland or the entire European Union without full agreement with Ukraine and with all of us when it comes to possible talks with Moscow. (…) I will also personally and effectively monitor this matter in the European Union,” he added.
Some Member States are so angry with Budapest that they are now They even want to shorten the Hungarian Presidency. That doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere, but the first Council meetings chaired by Hungary were snubbed by ministers, who sent civil servants in their place.
Hungary could feel its isolation even more in the NATO summit in Washington, where US President Joe Biden spoke about Orbán’s close friend Vladimir Putin.
“Putin wants the total subjugation of Ukraine”
“Putin wants nothing less, nothing less, than the total subjugation of Ukraine to end Ukraine’s democracy, destroy Ukraine and Ukrainian culture, and wipe Ukraine off the map. And we know that Putin will not stop in Ukraine. But make no mistake: Ukraine can and will stop Putin,” Biden said.
The Washington summit aimed to present a united front and demonstrate that, on its 75th anniversary, the alliance is stronger than ever. But it was overshadowed by a crisis seriesof which doubts about President Biden’s suitability for office at 81 years old were probably the least of the problems.
There will be great challenges for NATO
What awaits the I’LL TAKE in the future? We spoke to Ian Lesser, executive director of the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund.
‘Euronews’: President Biden has called the alliance the most unified in its history. But behind the scenes, the mood was rather somber. What are the most important challenges for NATO going forward?
Lesser: Well, above all, even though this is the 75th anniversary and is in some sense festive in nature, there is an ongoing war in Europe. There is an increasingly dangerous relationship with Russia. Also a very competitive relationship with China. But above all, it is about deterring and defending against Russia, but also against provide Ukraine with what it needs to defend.
‘Euronews’: NATO is trying to inoculate itself against the disruptions and crises that Donald Trump could instigate if he returns, trying to make itself Trump-proof, so to speak. Can it really work?
Lesser: Well, NATO has had some experience with this. Of course, we don’t know what the outcome will be in Washington. But even if Biden is re-elected, there will be great challenges for NATO, for any American administration that continues to come to Europe and asking you to spend more and do more.
‘Euronews’: There is Trump, but there is also the growing power of far-right forces hostile to NATO in Europe. How serious is this problem for the Alliance?
Lesser: Well, the extreme right, but also in some cases on the left, parties that do not always support the transatlantic relationship. This also poses a problem for me. It can be a problem in terms of policy towards Russiasupport for Ukraine, defense spending.
‘Euronews’: Finally, there’s a new Secretary General in town – is Mark Rutte the right man to lead NATO through stormy waters?
Lesser: Everything that is done in NATO, from the smallest to the largest, is done by consensus. And there are few things more important than electing a Secretary General in very difficult times. And that’s why I thinke the fact that Mark Rutte was elected with great supportwhich was not very controversial, says something about where the alliance wants to go and the degree of confidence in your leadership. But I think that’s probably right.
