The Kremlin's Trojan Horse in NATO
There are two full-on Putin allies heading governments of countries in the EU and NATO, Hungary and Slovakia. I’m not advocating that either should be kicked out of either organization, but they should certainly both be suspended from NATO, at the very least, until their fascist leaders, respectively, Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico, leave office. Instead, yesterday, the EU took away 3 days of scheduled meetings of Defense and Foreign ministers next month from Budapest. It’s just a symbolic show of disapproval and Orbán’s government laughed at them, calling it “completely childish.”
After Orbán denounced the EU as being a pro-war organization, using Kremlin talking points as he does so often, several dozen members of the European Parliament demanded that Hungary’s voting rights be suspended— which Hungary might find less childish, pointing out that “mere verbal condemnation” of Hungary has “no effect.”
Hungary has consistently taken Russia’s side in its aggression against Ukraine. Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief responded to Orbán by reminding him that “It is Putin who is the war party.The only one who is 'pro-war' is Putin, who is calling for Ukraine’s partition and rendition as his 'pre-conditions' for any talks and cease-fire. He sends reminders every day, in the form of thousands of missiles, drones and glide bombs, and more military offensives.”
Borrell reiterated criticism of Hungary's veto over military assistance for Ukraine dating back to May 2023 preventing Brussels from partially re-imbursing member states for military equipment shipments to the tune of $7.2 billion under a so-called European Peace Facility. The blockage has forced EU countries to forge military assistance agreements directly with Kyiv that cut out Brussels.
Borrell complained that despite member states' ire, the situation remained deadlocked saying he had "lost hope" that Budapest would relent and warning it could disincentivize some capitals from providing military assistance going forward.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto dismissed the meeting snub in a withering response on social media.
"What a fantastic response they have come up with. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but it feels like being in a kindergarten," he said.
Many European countries are more concerned about Orbán's capacity to damage NATO, including some who fear that he’s transferring the alliance’s military secrets to Putin— aside from allowing Budapest to become a hub of Russian spying. “In late November 2022, Ukrainian special forces arrested a suspected Russian agent at the Ukraine-Hungary border. The man had been attempting to smuggle secret information into EU member state Hungary on a flash drive that he had allegedly concealed in his anus. The flash drive contained stolen personal information about senior figures and staff at the Ukrainian domestic secret service SBU and the Ukrainian military intelligence service GUR, as well as sensitive data on Ukrainian army bases, weapons and logistics. As it turned out, the spy had intended to hand over the drive to the Russian Embassy in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.” There are more than twice as many accredited Russian “diplomats” (read: spies) in Budapest than in Prague, Bratislava and Warsaw combined. The Soviet-era International Investment Bank, now headquartered in Budapest is another next of Russian spies.
Orbán's pro-Kremlin stance has been a point of contention within both NATO and the EU but nothing has happened, even though Russian hackers have penetrated the Hungarian Foreign Ministry's IT systems. The alignment also includes significant projects like the Paks II nuclear power plant, financed by Russian loans. Only a fool doubts that Hungary is sharing sensitive NATO information with Russia. Diplomats from other Central and Eastern European countries have expressed fears about sharing plans with Hungary, but despite their concerns, NATO and the EU have so far avoided effective measures like expelling Hungary. Instead, there have been discussions about sanctions and other forms of pressure, but no concrete steps towards expulsion have been taken.
NATO’s bureaucracy seems woefully incapable of taking even rudimentary steps to protect itself. While, in theory, it has stringent mechanisms and protocols to protect sensitive information, the effectiveness of these safeguards are a joke. Access to sensitive data is supposedly restricted and based on the need-to-know principle and individuals within NATO and member states who handle classified information must undergo thorough vetting and security clearance processes in order to mitigate the risk of insider threats. That doesn’t work when the head of government is a Kremlin agent. Nor does NATO’s use of secure communication channels for transmitting sensitive information. These channels are designed to prevent interception and unauthorized access. Does anyone check Orbán's pockets when he travels to Moscow to meet his pal Vlad?
Again, in theory, NATO conducts regular audits and assessments to ensure that member states comply with information security standards. Any breaches or lapses can lead to corrective measures. But Russian hackers have accessed the Hungarian Foreign Ministry's servers multiple times, compromising national security data and raising “concerns” about Hungary's ability— if not will— to protect sensitive NATO information. Orbán's close relationship with Putin and his government's alignment with Russia create an environment where the risk of information leakage is obviously heightened. Given the concerns, some NATO allies have become more cautious about sharing highly sensitive information with Hungary, but no one in their right mind really thinks this selective sharing acts as an effective safeguard.
I was just in Amsterdam for a couple of weeks. My friend Toon Janssen took this photo of me at the Stedelijk Museum standing between portraits by the Polish artist Wilhelm Sasnal, one of Viktor Orbán and one of Marine Le Pen, two prominent European fascists.
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