Originally Posted by
CLazarus
Yeah, an alliance with a member that actively tries to undermine it or start wars all on its own it loses credibility. Hopefully those tricky Slovaks won't start any Forever wars and then cry to NATO to bail them out.
Anywho. How about the notable development today in Hungary? Not sure if the Slovaks will still try to desperately pee in the punchbowl, but I'm hopeful that today's election will result in $90 Billion of clogged EU funds finally being unloosed. Buys quite a bit of runway for Ukraine. Seeing the crowds in Budapest chanting "Russians Go Home!" is really very satisfying. Putin has got to be looking over his shoulder more than normal from here on out.
And, so far it appears that Russia's Spring "Offensive" is shaping up to be an epic failure (like a horrific version of Groundhog Day). It is up for debate whether the Russians or Ukrainians have taken more territory so far. No debate that the Russians are taking fearsome casualties for almost nothing while the Ukrainians are working hard to blow up Russia's windfall from the Iran war. For now at least, Russia is clearly losing.
With Orban having been an overt supporter of Putin's Russia, his defeat is a twofold win for Ukraine.
It is likely that Hungary will again be an ally and positive participant in the EU, plus no longer automatically block attempts to aid Ukraine.
Putin's Trojan Horse, for the moment, is neutralized.
To counter this good news, it is unfortunately dimmed by what has now become an unavoidable reality for Ukraine and the nations of the EU.
The USA is currently:
1. A defacto enemy of the European Union.
2. A predatory hegemon in relations regarding Ukrainian security, sovereignty, and resources.
3. In the relationship regarding Russia as to the rules-based order, international rule of law, human rights and democratic/moral values, the USA has switched sides. The US is aligned with Russia and Russia's approach to order and chaos. The US will, using passive/aggressive techniques, continue to support Russian interests.
The entire world is grappling with these developments of just the past year or so. Due to the history from 1939 to the present, it is particularly emotionally difficult for Europeans to come to grips with this. I suspect that they will eventually arrive at a unified and coherent strategy as to how to go forward, but the deep financial ties will make it very painful on both sides of the Atlantic.