Those who bet that this EU presidency will not be like the others can already go through the till. The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, from the very first day of his “term” showed that he is determined to stir the waters and to ignore the hitherto Union line on a number of issues. He decided to undertake a “peace initiative” for Ukraine, the content of which only he knows. A tour started from Kiev. So far so good, although his words did not in any way excite the president of Ukraine.

But where it started to sound alarm was when, without informing Brussels or any major European capital, he flew to Moscow and met with Vladimir Putin. All the European officials may have explained from the first moment that he has no “mandate” to negotiate with the Russian side and represents nothing but… himself, but his Russian interlocutor did not miss the opportunity to take advantage of the meeting, at least domestically, presenting it more or less as a sign of the retreat of the West.

But Orban’s tour didn’t end there. He also met with the representatives of the Turkish-speaking states and then with Chinese President Xi Jinping, essentially Russia’s most important “ally” internationally, anointing himself a “peacemaker”. He then flew proudly to the celebratory NATO summit.

Furious von der Leyen

This private diplomacy came at a time when the European institutions are reorganizing, in view of the approval of the new Commission by the European Parliament. Especially at the moment when Ursula von der Leyen feels her freedom of movement increasing. Estonia’s Kaya Kalas, who is being anointed to succeed Spain’s Josep Borel, has a reputation in journalistic circles that she “eats Russians for breakfast”.

Also, the “good-natured” Portuguese Antonio Costa, as president of the European Council, is not expected to deal with how to trip up the powerful president of the Commission, as his Belgian predecessor Charles Michel did. So while von der Leyen thought her hands were off, Orban came along cause her more troubleat least for the six months that have just started, but it is one of the most critical in the history of the EU. Not only because there will be a new Commission, but also because Orbán is one of the declared political friends of Donald Trump, which Europeans fear that they will face again their.

Message to Meloni as well

The Hungarian “ruler” has shown that he does not care about threats and exhortations. The criticisms of the Commission or other colleagues leave him coldly indifferent. Recently the Hungarian Foreign Minister canceled without explanation a meeting with his German counterpart, Analena Berbock. At the same time, he is emerging as a leader of the ethno-populist right in Europe, since the new members of the “Patriots for Europe” group, which he created together with his like-minded leaders of the Free Austrians and the ANO from the Czech Republic, do not stop. At the beginning of the week, the National Alarm of Marine Le Pen from France, Matteo Salvini of the Lega from Italy, Geert Wilders of the Dutch extreme right, as well as the “sister” parties Vox and Chega from Spain and the Portugal respectively. The “Patriots” are a third force in the European Parliament, with Orbán and Le Pen holding the reins, with all that entails for their rights and influence. This is also a clear message to the Prime Minister of Italy, Georgia Meloni about who is the real ruler in Europe in the area of ​​the ethno-populist Right. The six-month presidency of Hungary will offer us, as everything shows, plenty of surprises.