CaliToday (15/12/2025): The diplomatic fracture within the Visegrád Group (V4) has reached a new boiling point. Once close ideological allies against Brussels, Hungary and Poland are now finding themselves on opposite sides of history regarding the war in Ukraine.
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| Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski (L), Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó (R). Photo: Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images, Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images |
The latest flashpoint? The European Union’s move to permanently seize and utilize frozen Russian financial assets to aid Ukraine a decision that sparked a fiery exchange between Budapest and Warsaw.
The Spark: Using Russian Assets
As the EU and G7 move closer to utilizing the profits from frozen Russian sovereign assets to fund Ukraine's defense and reconstruction, Hungary has remained the bloc’s most vocal dissenter. Budapest argues that such moves escalate the conflict and push Europe closer to direct warfare.
Peter Szijjarto, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, lashed out at the proposal, accusing the EU pro-war camp of actively seeking confrontation.
The Hungarian Stance:
"We understand that you badly want a Russia-Europe war! We will not let you drag us into your war!!"
— Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian Foreign Minister
Szijjarto’s rhetoric aligns with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s longstanding "peace mission" narrative, which emphasizes immediate ceasefires over military aid and frames the EU's support for Ukraine as dangerous warmongering.
The Polish Retort: A Historical Sting
Poland, currently one of Ukraine's staunchest military supporters and a critical logistics hub for the war effort, wasted no time in responding.
Radoslaw Sikorski, Poland’s Foreign Minister, delivered a biting rejoinder that did more than just clarify the cause of the war; it contained a thinly veiled historical accusation.
The Polish Response:
"If Russia stops invading, there will be no such war, but we understand that this time you will be on their side."
— Radoslaw Sikorski, Polish Foreign Minister
Decoding Sikorski’s Message
Sikorski’s comment—"this time you will be on their side" is a heavy diplomatic blow carrying significant historical weight:
The "Aggressor" Narrative: Sikorski emphasizes that peace is entirely in Russia's hands (by stopping the invasion), dismissing Szijjarto's claim that the EU is causing the war.
The Historical Burn: The phrase "this time" likely alludes to the 20th century. In World War II, Hungary was an Axis power allied with Nazi Germany, while Poland was invaded and partitioned. By suggesting Hungary is picking the "wrong side" again, Sikorski is painting the Orbán government as complicit in authoritarian aggression, betraying the memory of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution where they fought against Russian tanks.
Why This Matters Now
This exchange highlights the collapse of the Visegrád Group (V4) as a unified political block.
Then: For years, Warsaw (under the previous PiS government) and Budapest stood back-to-back, protecting each other from EU rule-of-law sanctions.
Now: With the war in Ukraine and the election of Donald Tusk’s pro-EU coalition in Poland, the security priorities of the two nations have completely diverged. Poland views Russia as an existential threat that must be defeated; Hungary views Russia as a necessary economic partner and sees Western escalation as the primary danger.
As the EU prepares for a difficult winter and debates further sanctions, this open hostility between two key Central European players suggests that achieving consensus on Russia will only become harder.