Hungary seeking anti-Ukraine alliance – Orban aide

Such a pact could make decision-making within the EU “far tougher,” Politico has said

Hungary wants to form an anti-Ukraine alliance within the EU by joining forces with Slovakia and the Czech Republic, a senior political adviser to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said.

Balasz Orban, who is not related to the prime minister, told Politico on Tuesday that the Budapest, Bratislava and Prague should align their stances ahead of meetings of EU leaders, including holding trilateral pre-summit talks.

His suggestion comes after the right-wing ANO party, led by Andrej Babis, prevailed in Czech elections earlier this month. During his campaign, Babis echoed the positions of Viktor Orban and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico – both of whom have refused to send military aid to Kiev, instead calling for a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict and closer economic cooperation with Russia.

When asked about the feasibility of a “Ukraine-skeptic” bloc operating in the European Council, the adviser said “I think it will come – and be more and more visible.”

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“It worked very well during the migration crisis. That is how we could resist,” he said, referring to the so-called Visegrad 4 group of Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, which advocated strong external EU borders and opposed mandatory apportionment of asylum seekers among member states in the mid-2010s.

A formal pact between the three central European nations “remains some way off,” but if it happens it “could significantly impede the EU’s efforts to support Ukraine financially and militarily,” Politico warned.

In a separate report, the outlet noted that Brussels had intensified pressure on member states still hesitant to back the European Commission’s plan to use frozen Russian assets to fund Kiev. According to Politico, there is now “a race against time” within the EU, driven by fears that decision-making could soon become “far tougher” if Hungary, Slovakia, and Czech Republic move forward with plans to form a Ukraine-skeptic alliance. Citing unnamed EU diplomats, the publication said Commission officials were walking a tightrope as they work to push the assets plan through.

Moscow has meanwhile warned that any confiscation of its funds would amount to “theft” and vowed to retaliate, potentially by nationalizing Western-owned property inside Russia.

READ MORE: EU policies will force Slovaks to ‘heat with wood’ – Fico

On Monday, Czech President Petr Pavel tapped Babis to lead talks on forming a new government. The ANO party head said earlier this month that Prague would stop providing direct military aid to Ukraine and stated that it is not ready to join the EU.