A diplomatic row has erupted between Poland and Hungary that highlights deep tensions within Europe over how to “deal with Russia” as it continues its full-scale occupation of Ukraine.
Poland, like Germany, France and most other European countries, is a staunch ally of Ukraine, while Hungary’s populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is widely considered to have the “warmest” relationship with the Kremlin among EU leaders.
And the Polish government has been openly critical of Hungary over its stance, with their clashes reaching a new high when Orbán attacked Poland at the weekend.
“The Poles are following the most hypocritical policy in all of Europe,” said the prime minister. “They are lecturing us morally, criticizing us for our economic relations with Russia and at the same time doing business with the Russians…”.
And Poland was quick to react: “We do not do business with Russia, unlike Prime Minister Orbán…”, said Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski.
Bartoszewski added that Orbán should leave Western international organizations and instead “join [Russian President] Putin” and other authoritarian states.
His comments were reported by Polish state news agency PAP and came after Orbán traveled to Moscow to meet Putin in early July, in a move that sparked anger in Brussels and was seen by some as proof of his leanings pro-russian.
