Tamás Deutsch, MEP of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz, said Ursula von der Leyen has made “a political deal with the European Parliament’s pro-war majority in order to be re-elected” European Commission president.
Deutsch told a press conference in Strasbourg on Thursday: “There has been a clear political pact; the EP’s pro-war majority expects von der Leyen to attack [Hungarian PM] Viktor Orbán’s peace mission as sharply as possible in return for their votes." Deutsch criticised the opposition Tisza party’s MEPs Péter Magyar and István Tarr for having made “an oath of allegiance” to “pro-war and pro-migrant” von der Leyen, who he said was “further amplifying the gender frenzy”, and insisted that Hungary’s “dollar left” and its “new opposition” were now acting as “Brussels’s humble servants”. Asked if Russia’s attack on a children’s hospital in Kyiv just the day after PM Orbán visited Moscow had cast a shadow on the prime minister’s “peace mission”, Deutsch said “we hope proactive steps taken in order to achieve peace will be successful and such tragedies can be prevented; with no war, there will be no victims.” Kinga Gál, another MEP of Fidesz, said the Patriots for Europe group had not supported von der Leyen’s re-election. “Europe is now weaker than five years ago, partly as a result of von der Leyen’s decisions,” Gál said. “She does nothing for peace and Europe is getting closer to a conflict. She has forced the migration pact to be adopted rather than protecting the EU’s external borders. She has failed to protect our children and she now continues to promote gender ideology. Through her extreme green policies, she has in fact destroyed farmers, and weakened Europe’s competitiveness, not to mention the sanctions policy which has impacted the energy security of the whole of Europe.”