Viktor Orban showed up in Tbilisi this week to back-up Georgian Dreams election win which most Western watchers say was not fair. As EU Council head he praised what he called a “free-democratic“ vote (even though there were lots of problems with ballot boxes and voter pressure)
The visit by Orban comes at a time when Georgiaʼs pro-Moscow government is having EU problems: their hard-line rules about foreign-influence have made joining harder. The countryʼs leader Salome Zourabichvili doesnt agree with the vote results but the ruling party — led by mega-rich Bidzina Ivanishvili — keeps pushing its own way
We congratulate Georgians for choosing peace and not becoming another Ukraine
The Georgian Dreams team believes in a weird idea: that Western powers want to start fights with Russia. They think George Soros (who Orban really dislikes) is behind it all. Last spring many people went to streets to protest their strict new laws
Orbans trip shows how far hes moved from his early days: back in 89 he fought against Soviets but now he helps Moscow. He met with Donald Trump in summer and they both want the same things — theyd even share champagne if Trump wins next week. Some think Orban wants to help make deals between Russia and the West but Ukraine doesnt trust him since Hungary wants some Ukrainian land
The whole thing shows how Russia keeps pulling countries back to its side. If America steps back Ukraine might be forced to give up; then youʼd hear happy sounds from Budapest all over Europe