WARSAW – Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski on Wednesday rebuked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after he accused Donald Tusk of “playing a dangerous game” with Europe’s security.
Orbán’s criticism followed Tusk’s speech at the Warsaw Security Forum, where the Polish prime minister argued that the war in Ukraine is also “our war.”
In a post on X, Orbán countered, citing Euractiv’s article: “You may think that you are at war with Russia, but Hungary is not. Neither is the European Union”, he said, accusing his Polish counterpart of playing a dangerous game with the lives and security of millions of Europeans.
Bartoszewski responded on Radio ZET, pointing to Hungary’s continued purchases of Russian oil.
“Dear Prime Minister, you are financing this war by purchasing Russian oil. This makes you one of only two prime ministers in Europe who are doing so. Please stop doing that – without money, the Russians will not be able to continue the war.”
Apart from Viktor Orbán, the other prime minister Bartoszewski alludes to is Slovakia’s PM Robert Fico, whose government – like Hungary – continues to rely heavily on Russian fossil fuels and has opposed extending EU sanctions.
Hungary remains the EU’s largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels. In August alone, it imported €416 million worth, including €176 million of crude oil and €240 million of pipeline gas, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).