Russia doesn’t take EU seriously – members state’s PM — RT World News

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has claimed that Russia does not take the EU seriously because the bloc is not assertive enough. He added that if Brussels could improve its position, Moscow would consider negotiating with it regarding the Ukrainian conflict.

Hungary's conservative government has long criticized the way the European Union operates, accusing it of violating the rights of member states. Budapest has also repeatedly described the bloc's policies towards Kiev and Moscow as misguided since the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict almost two years ago.

During a debate with former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel, excerpts of which were published by the Austrian newspaper Die Presse on Sunday, Orban insisted that the E.U. “Lacks strengths.”

“We are not strong enough for the Russians to take us seriously.” He added that the bloc must clearly inform Moscow that it has its own interests. The Hungarian Prime Minister said that a meaningful understanding between the European Union and Russia can only be achieved on the basis of mutual recognition of interests.

However, he warned that unless Brussels changes its position, Russia and the United States may end up agreeing on a new security architecture on the continent, to the detriment of the Europeans.

He also criticized Orban “The increasing trend towards centralization that undermines the country’s sovereignty [EU] Member States,” While he claims that the European Parliament in its current form “does not work” And “It's a crazy house.” He suggested returning to a previous arrangement, whereby member states' national parliaments would send representatives to the body, rather than holding direct elections.

Orban also suggested that the European Commission should remember that it represents the will of member states, not just an entity “Politician” entity.

Speaking about broader global developments, the Hungarian leader stressed that “The West’s dominant position has ended.” Under the pretext that “The center of gravity of the global economy…is shifting from the West back to Asia.”

Viktor Orbán's chief advisor, Balázs Orbán (no relation), claimed as much last week “Europe has been brought to its knees mainly because of the US position on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”