Their last meeting dates back to December 2021. French President Emmanuel Macron receives Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban on the evening of Monday March 13 for a working dinner at the Élysée Palace where several subjects are to be discussed: "unity European countries" on the war in Ukraine, "European values" or even "the rule of law".
During this meeting, Emmanuel Macron and Viktor Orban must prepare the European Council of March 23 and 24 in Brussels.
They will discuss "issues of industrial policy, energy and migration", declared the French presidency.
Viktor Orban has been sailing against the tide of his European partners on the Ukrainian file since the Russian invasion of Ukraine a year ago.
He castigates the "indirect war" waged by Europe against Russia and again launched a new call at the end of February for a ceasefire.
Beyond that, the nationalist leader has repeatedly rubbed shoulders with the EU over fluctuating respect for the rule of law in Hungary, which Emmanuel Macron – much more Europhile – intends to raise again on Monday evening.
The Elysian dinner, more than a year after their last bilateral meeting in December 2021 in Budapest, "will be an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of European values and the unity of European countries in their support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, in particular through the application of sanctions against Russia", said the entourage of the French president.
Close ties between Viktor Orban and Vladimir Putin before the war in Ukraine
Emmanuel Macron will also "reiterate the need for ratification, by Hungary, of Finland's and Sweden's accession to NATO".
Of the 30 members of the Atlantic Alliance, only Turkey and Hungary have yet to ratify these two new candidacies submitted in the midst of the war in Ukraine.
A French diplomatic source said on Monday that he was "fairly confident" about the parliamentary process initiated on the Hungarian side.
Since the start of the conflict in February 2022, Budapest, very dependent on Russian hydrocarbon imports, has maintained an ambiguous position, refraining from criticizing the Russian president.
Viktor Orban, who had close ties with Vladimir Putin before the war, refuses to send weapons to kyiv and castigates the European sanctions aimed at Moscow, even if he voted for them.
Since his return to power in 2010, the nationalist leader has gradually brought checks and balances to heel, whether in the media or the judiciary, regularly drawing criticism from the European Union.
The latter also blocks some 12 billion euros of funds intended for Budapest pending anti-corruption reforms.
With AFP
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