Peace in Ukraine and the EU

The article by Bobby McDonagh “Viktor Orban Is a Buffoon, But He Can Still Damage the EU” (“The Irish Times”, July 31) has resonated, but not in a way the author has intended. The presentation by Mr. McDonagh is perceived as surprisingly vulgar rendition of the current EU’s bullying campaign against the Prime Minister of Hungary – something you would not expect from an experienced top level Irish diplomat.

The reason for such rancour is simple. Orban’s responsible, rational and wise attempt to explore ways of peacefully ending the conflict in Ukraine runs against the current “war until the last Ukrainian” line by Brussels and obedient EU majority. By criticizing Orban they expose their hypocrisy and incompetence – instead of supporting genuine political settlement in Ukraine the US, NATO and EU have chosen to escalate the conflict, pretending that Russia, not the West, is an aggressor that needs to be “contained” or better “defeated”.

No wonder that this policy is being questioned by the Irish public as well as Europeans, as multiple opportunities for political solution of Ukrainian conflict proposed by Russia were ignored deliberately. Peace in Ukraine has never been a plan for the US – on the contrary, the whole idea has always been and remains to create a permanent source of trouble for Russia in the form of ultra-nationalist, russophobic and militarized entity on its western border. The fate of Russians in Ukraine, or all Ukrainians for that matter, does not count. Anyone in Europe who dares to think of ending the West’s proxy war in Ukraine is subject to ridicule and ostracism. That is a total failure by the European political elite which cannot be hidden by any amount of name calling or sanctions. The resulting damage to the EU is entirely self-inflicted and drives it to the point of irrelevance.