Final Word from Wednesday, February 7, 2024

The EU ended up not having to sabotage Hungary's economy, because Viktor Orbán decided not to block €50bn in aid to Ukraine. What, if anything, he got in return is still the subject of speculation. An unnamed EU diplomat told the Financial Times that Orbán is "playing a very long game and has more time than most," adding that, "Quite honestly, he is better at playing the game than most, too." Czech EU Affairs Min. Martin Dvořák of STAN told CNN Prima News in Dec. that Orbán is a Trojan horse of Russia and is working hard, unfortunately with increasing effectiveness, to break up the unity of the EU. Dvořák would never intentionally work on behalf of Russia, but his actions and those of STAN in general are having an Orbán-like impact on the ruling Czech coalition. STAN is clearly trying to break up the unity. Unlike Orbán, though, STAN is playing a very short game, and it's not particularly good at it. STAN risks being attractive only to the few voters who think its antics are admirable. [ Czech Republic horizon Vladimir Putin PM European Union currency run ]