EU Commission chief: Hungary's Russia, China policies pose security risk

By Lili Bayer

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Hungary is putting European security at risk, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday in an unusually blunt speech blasting Budapest’s relationship with Russia and China.

Speaking at a debate with nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, von der Leyen took aim at Budapest's reluctance to join EU partners in helping Ukraine against Russia's invasion, and its decisions strengthening ties with Moscow and Beijing.

"The world has witnessed the atrocities of Russia's war. And yet, there are still some who blame this war not on the invader but the invaded," said von der Leyen, a centre-right German politician and ex-defence minister.

"There are still some who blame this war not on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's lust for power but on Ukraine's thirst for freedom. So I want to ask them, would they ever blame the Hungarians for the Soviet invasion in 1956?" she said.

In response, Orban said he was "surprised" by von der Leyen's speech and he rejected any parallel between Hungary’s failed 1956 uprising against Soviet oppression and Ukraine's fight to defend its territory.

He repeated his call for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Orban, who has been in power since 2010 and whose country currently holds the EU's six-month rotating presidency, has repeatedly clashed with European institutions over concerns that he has undermined democratic norms in Hungary and pursued close relationships with Russia and China outside EU policy.

In July, Orban stoked controversy when he travelled on what the Hungarian government has described as a "peace mission" to Moscow and Beijing during Hungary's presidency without coordinating with its EU partners.

Von der Leyen criticised a Hungarian programme easing visa restrictions for Russians and Belarusians, and an agreement between Budapest and Beijing allowing Chinese police officers to patrol in Hungary together with their Hungarian counterparts.

"How can it be that the Hungarian government invites Russian nationals into our union without additional security checks? This makes the new Hungarian visa scheme a security risk not only for Hungary, but for all member states," she said.

"How can it be that the Hungarian government would allow Chinese police to operate within its territory? This is not defending Europe’s sovereignty, this is a backdoor for foreign interference," von der Leyen added.

She also pointed to Hungary's continued reliance on Russian energy after many countries in the 27-member EU reduced their dependency in response to Russia's invasion.

"One member state just looked for alternative ways to buy fossil fuels from Russia. Russia has proven time and again it is simply not a reliable supplier. There can be no more excuses. Whoever wants European energy security first and foremost has to contribute to it," she said.

(Reporting by Lili Bayer; editing by Jan Strupczewski and Mark Heinrich)