Why Orban’s Call With Putin Is A Model For Modern Diplomacy

By Andrew Korybko

There was nothing subservient or compromising about it, rather, it was full of self-assurance and mutual benefit.

Hungary’s latest Russiagate scandal concerns a leaked recording of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s call with Putin, the transcript of which was translated and published by Bloomberg. They also summarized it in their more widely known report here with the sensationalist headline that “Orban Offered to Be ‘Mouse’ Aiding ‘Lion’ in Call With Putin” in response to him referencing one of Aesop’s Fables. This misleadingly suggested subservience and lent false credence to claims that he’s compromised.

The reality is that Orban’s call with Putin, just like Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto’s with Sergey Lavrov that was also misportrayed as part of a Russiagate scandal just before their political opponents did so with this one, was a masterclass in leadership. Far from what the abovementioned title of Bloomberg’s most popular summarized report of the transcript implied, Orban wasn’t subserviating himself to Putin but helping Trump organize the US leader’s proposed American-Russian Summit in Budapest.

It was in this context that Orban referenced Aesop’s Fable about the mouse and the lion to emphasize that “I can help in any way” in likely allusion to the help that Putin had already hitherto provided to Hungary through continued Russian energy supplies for maintaining economic stability. Orban then echoed Putin’s praise of Trump’s negotiating style. Then conversation than ended with Orban asking Putin how he’s been doing in general, after which he said thank you and good-bye in Russian.

All of this was masterful because it showed Orban’s unique role in facilitating the Russian-US “New Détente” that Putin and Trump want, he praised Putin and Trump in equal measure, and went further with Putin through his humorous reference and speaking Russian. That’s how a real leader should behave when speaking to his counterparts from more globally influential countries. There was nothing subservient or compromising about it, rather, it was full of self-assurance and mutual benefit.

Circling back to Bloomberg’s sensationalist headlined summary, this was therefore a deliberate provocation intended to mislead readers about the content of Orban’s call with Putin, which was held on 17 October per the Kremlin’s readout since Orban referenced Putin’s birthday from earlier in the month. It also can’t be ruled out that Bloomberg coordinated this with the foreign intelligence agency that tapped Orban’s phone. That tapping is a much greater scandal than this faux one over their call.

As was mentioned earlier, Szijjarto’s call with Lavrov was also tapped and the contents then misportrayed as part of a Russiagate scandal too, which suggests that a foreign intelligence agency compromised the Hungarian government’s security communications for months and maybe years. It’s unclear which one is responsible, but Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and the UK are all suspects. In any case, these recordings are coming out now in an attempt to manipulate voters, who go to the polls on Sunday.

What has been called the “Battle for Hungary” is heating up through more leaked recordings of top officials’ calls with their Russian counterparts, which are misportrayed as subservient and compromising, and Serbia’s recent thwarting of an attempted terrorist attack against TurkStream. With just several days to go, there might still be more political and possibly even terrorist surprises in store, so observers are bracing to see how much further Orban’s opponents will go to “democratically depose” him.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Voice of East.

Categories: Analysis, Geopolitics, Russia

Tags: Geopolitics, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Russia, The West, TurkStream, UK, Ukraine