It seems that we have now entered the ‘bargaining’ stage of grief when it comes to the war in Ukraine.
With the West having failed to help Kyiv repel Moscow’s invasion, warhawks on both sides of the Atlantic are now looking for someone or something to blame.
And who better to blame than the ‘super-duper-evil’ nation of Hungary?
War hawks in the US House and Senate have lashed out at both Donald Trump and Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán over Budapest’s energy policy. While Trump is slapping sanctions on Moscow’s energy firms, he confirmed last week that Hungary would be allowed an exemption to these penalties due to its unique geopolitical circumstances.
An open letter sent to Trump before the event made this crystal clear. Signed by both Democrats and Republicans—yes, Mitch McConnell is in there—it attacked the Fidesz government for supposedly doing nothing to move away from Russian oil and gas.
The smears are nothing new. US Senator Lindsay Graham has jumped on the blame-Budapest bandwagon. Pontificating on X, he declared that if only Hungary and Slovakia would stop buying Russian oil, they could ‘help us end this bloodbath’.
‘If not, consequences should and will follow,’ he, rather ominously, added.
Ooooohhh. Scary.
But our friendly senator here seems to be operating on false pretences.
First, it’s not just Hungary and Slovakia that continue to buy Russian hydrocarbons. According to a study done by the greenie-leftie think-tank CREA, Russian fossil fuel export revenues dropped just 6 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, EU countries have only reduced the amount of Russian energy they import by just 1 per cent.
Apparently, it’s not just Hungary and Slovakia buying Russian energy.
Budapest—unlike other European governments—has refused to destroy its own economy by simply cutting off Russian fuel sources with no replacement. Instead, it is taking aggressive measures to reduce its reliance on Russian fuel by ramping up its domestic oil and gas production.
2025 now looks like Hungary could see the highest amount of oil and gas extraction this century.
To quote the wise words of President Trump: ‘Drill Baby, Drill.’
Meanwhile, what is Western Europe doing? Not a whole lot. German domestic oil production continues to fall. France continues to welcome Russian gas into its ports. The term ‘hypocrisy’ comes to mind, but let’s just settle for ‘poor example’.
Even Ukraine has not been able to fully purge itself from Russian hydrocarbons, and often still relies on Siberian diesel to power its battle tanks. The country has imposed a ban on Turkish and Indian diesel imports over fears that Russia was its true origin.
Western Europeans seem keen on sacrificing their own economies in a desperate attempt at ‘energy purity’. Yet the data show that they have only incurred massive costs for minimal results. Best-case scenario, energy imports from America and other third countries might serve as a decent stopgap for some European states. However, the Union’s landlocked Central and Eastern members cannot avail of such sources. So what else are these countries supposed to do?
One obvious option is that they could import oil and gas from the large deposits in Western Europe…if only drilling hadn’t been banned in service of the weather gods.
Attacks from the Dems are ultimately to be expected, with the cause secondary to the pure utility of attacking Europe’s most effective right-wing leader. But I am disappointed by the actions of Republicans who should know better than to act like their dweeby Democratic peers. They should be fighting against the guys who despise the Hungarians for not wanting to torpedo their own economy for bragging rights at the next Brussels cocktail party, not joining in on the assault.
Be real Republicans. Show up in Brussels with a pickaxe and a prospectors’ hat and demand to let the black gold flow. Tell Western Europe to stop caring more for the little green deities than for their own economies and the Ukrainian people.
Slop Rating:
Related articles:
