She wanted to mediate between Europe and Viktor Orban's vetoes, but Giorgia Meloni's mission proved anything but easy. After her morning meeting at the Vatican with Pope Leo XIII, and before that at Palazzo Chigi (there will also be one with Matteo Salvini), the Hungarian prime minister fired one of her most forceful remarks, declaring that "the European Union counts for nothing" and that "Donald Trump is wrong about Putin: I will go to him to get him to lift the sanctions on Russia" over oil.
A quantum leap, following the recent announcement of the intention to circumvent them. Before leaving his hotel in the capital, Orban explained his vision of the stalemate, which he himself hopes to resolve with a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin in Budapest, though this is still only a possibility. "We have outsourced the ability to resolve the war to the Americans and Russians. Unfortunately, we have no role. Europe is completely out of the picture," Orban told Repubblica and Messaggero, arguing that "the important issue is the future of the European economy, because there is very little left to do about the war."
These statements do not suggest much room for mediation. At least on the Ukraine issue, which sparked yet another clash in Brussels a few days ago, just as the meeting with Meloni was added to the Prime Minister's agenda. Ukraine (along with his family and the Middle East) is the focus of Orban's visit to the Vatican, where he is received in audience by the Pope and then meets with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State. And also of the approximately hour-long meeting at the government headquarters, where +Europa welcomes him with a flash mob displaying signs reading "Let's veto Orban."
At Palazzo Chigi, the conservative Hungarian prime minister arrives with a kiss on the hand from Meloni, who has enjoyed a privileged relationship with him over the past three years . This is due to both political affinities (they are now aligned against the reform of unanimity voting in the EU Council, and both congratulated Argentine President Javier Milei on the midterm elections) and that "diplomatic pragmatism" that requires "talking to everyone." Among the 27, intolerance for Budapest's rigidity is at alarming levels.
"There's nothing wrong with hosting Orban. Just because we're talking doesn't mean we agree," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani agreed, admitting that he has "a different vision" from the Hungarian leader on relations with Russia: "And knowing Meloni, she's in line with herself, not with the others." Indeed, according to some sources, the prime minister's approach to her guest was calibrated to encourage him to find a solution, perhaps by negotiating other issues. Or alternatively, to walk out during the vote on Ukraine, without exercising her veto, as in December 2023 when they had coffee and the EU Council approved the opening of enlargement negotiations with Kiev.
But balancing act is complicated, as Orban's attacks demonstrate. The meeting ended without any press releases. The official statement from Palazzo Chigi merely outlined the topics of discussion: in addition to Ukraine, the Middle East, the European agenda, immigration initiatives, and a potential partnership based on "the opportunities offered by the European Safe Instrument," defense loans, "evaluating possible synergies between Italy and Hungary to support their respective industrial and technological capabilities."
The Democratic Party is asking Meloni and Salvini to "distance themselves from Orban." Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte maintains that the Hungarian prime minister "is doing very wrong, because Putin should be condemned for the attack, but now we need to find a peaceful solution."
But Orban finds the only piece of news ("The Sovereignist Offensive Against Europe: The Meloni-Trump Axis") aired by Report on Rai3 indigestible. Sigfrido Ranucci's program committed "a serious error," according to the Hungarian government. "The title itself reveals the authors' bias," says Balazs Orban, Orban's political advisor, arguing that the report "The Great Reset," cited in the piece, is presented "as an attempt to undermine EU integration" but is instead "a comprehensive policy document that examines the key issues facing the Union's future, particularly how to restore the balance between national sovereignty and institutional centralization in the EU."
(Unioneonline)