Is the European Union spiraling toward further fissure?
The president of Croatia, Zoran Milanović, took a vehement stance against the EU on Friday by speaking out against its recent penalization of Hungary for its alleged violation of rule-of-law standards.
Milanović made the defiant remarks in the Hungarian capital of Budapest after meeting with Hungarian President Katalin Novák.
The EU penalty against Hungary consists in the freezing of billions of euros because the country’s government has allegedly undermined democracy. In particular, the EU takes issue with the policies of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has taken on migrants, homosexuals, and NGOs in his advancement of right-wing and nationalist policies.
Milanović contended that the EU is overstepping its powers. According to Croatia’s president, the European Union should not become a “United States of Europe,” but rather should respect the sovereignty of its member states. He further argued that the EU’s actions threaten the 27-nation bloc by fomenting the kind of tension that led the U.K. to leave via Brexit.
“This sort of approach (between the EU and Hungary) is deeply irritating,” Milanović said, adding that “today it is Hungary, tomorrow it will be some bigger country that will need to be ‘taught a lesson.’”
Although Milanović won election in 2019 as a left-leaning candidate, he has, in practice, been noted for his populist, nationalist policies and for his criticism of the Western powers’ policies toward Russia and the Balkan states.
AP notes:
While the heads of state said they both condemn Russian aggression in Ukraine and support its territorial integrity, Milanović said he, like Hungary’s government, doesn’t support sanctions against Moscow, and characterized the conflict in Ukraine as a proxy war between Russia and the United States.
“The question is how much damage (sanctions) will bring upon us. It creates damage to Europe,” Milanović said. “We managed to bring Russia and China closer together. In whose interest is this? All those questions will have to be answered to me, especially by those who are making those decisions in my name. I demand an answer.”
Novák took the opportunity of the joint event with her Croatian counterpart to urge the Ukrainian government to respect the rights of the Hungarian ethnic minority in its western Transcarpathia, where the Hungarian flags of this minority group have been forced down from public institutions.
Orbán’s political positions have often earned him the label “far-right” from mainstream media outlets. In addition to seeking to restrict immigration into his country (in contrast to the EU’s open-arms stance toward mostly Muslim migrants from Africa and the Middle East), the Hungarian prime minister has fought back against progressive social agendas such as transgenderism.
Despite pressure from pro-LGBT entities around the world over his new anti-pedophile laws that ban the promotion of homosexuality and transgenderism to minors, Orbán stood by the legislation, defending it as a mechanism to protect parental rights related to their children’s education.
Among those criticizing the Hungarian legislation is Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which is funded by the U.S. government.
Notably, President Donald Trump endorsed Orbán’s reelection last year.
“He has done a powerful and wonderful job in protecting Hungary, stopping illegal immigration, creating jobs, trade, and should be allowed to continue to do so in the upcoming Election. He is a strong leader and respected by all,” Trump lauded, giving Orbán his “Complete support and Endorsement for reelection.”
The EU’s crackdown on Hungary comes as the globalist powers continue to intervene in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
On Friday, the Biden White House announced a new set of sanctions against the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary group considered to be Putin’s private military arm.
“These actions recognize the transcontinental threat that Wagner poses, including through its ongoing pattern of serious criminal activity,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a White House briefing on Friday.
Wagner and its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin (a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin), have been sanctioned by the U.S. for years now. But the new set of sanctions is related to the organization’s prominent role in the present war in Ukraine.
Politico notes:
The additional sanctions and new designation come as Wagner, owned by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been working on expanding its military operation in Ukraine by raising funds to acquire new fighters and weapons. Russia has been increasingly relying on the military group amid heavy losses on the ground for its own troops in the country’s war on Ukraine, but the U.S. is seeing indications “that tensions between Wagner and the Russian Ministry of Defense are increasing,” Kirby said. Wagner and Prigozhin have been under U.S. sanctions for years.
The spokesperson added that Wagner “is becoming a rival power center to the Russian military and other Russian ministries,” with an estimated 50,000 personnel deployed to Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts.
Also at issue is imagery revealed by Kirby that shows Russian rail cars traveling to and from North Korea. The Biden official claimed this is evidence that North Korea is giving the Wagner Group weapons and munitions, which would constitute a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
“With these actions, and there will be more to come, our message to any company that is considering providing support to Wagner is simply this: Wagner is a criminal organization that is committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses, and we will work relentlessly to identify, disrupt, expose and target those who are assisting Wagner,” said Kirby.
