Martin Divisek / EPA
So, this regional meeting, which is indicative for the whole of Europe, did take place. And again — in Prague, where in late November last year the presidents of the Visegrad Group (Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia) already gathered. Then its instigator was the Czech president, former NATO general and chairman of the Military Committee of the alliance Petr Pavel.
This time the baton has passed to Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. Back in January, he expressed doubts about the expediency of holding another meeting of the Visegrad Four (V4) at the level of heads of government. The views of its potential participants on the current situation were too different.
Fiala himself is a convinced Transatlanticist, his Polish colleague Donald Tusk is more of a Europhile, and the heads of the Hungarian and Slovak cabinets Viktor Orban and Robert Fico are Euroskeptics. What concrete results can be expected?
The Pole even considered it possible to say whether there is any sense in this informal association when the points of view of its participants are so different?
However, Fiala said before the V4 summit that an exchange of views among Eastern European countries is necessary, because «it is important to find unity on key issues for the EU, even if it will be difficult». And on February 27, he offered the Lichtenstein Palace on Kampa Island in the center of the Czech capital for this purpose.
Initially, a relatively neutral agenda was chosen — reactions to farmer protests in Europe, proposals to improve the EU’s plan to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 (Green Deal), cooperation on expanding the use of nuclear energy, and joint measures to prevent illegal migration.
But the center of attention, as expected, was the conflict in Ukraine. The And the Four has broken up into twos.
It is noteworthy that Fiala had undoubtedly prepared for this scenario. That is why he found it necessary to have a conversation (instead of breakfast) for an hour and a half (!) with a like-minded Polish friend before the summit. Only one detail leaked out of the extensive conversation. The head of the host country thanked his colleague for agreeing to participate in the Czech project to supply Ukraine with ammunition from third countries.
For us, it is interesting to see how different the views of the NATO states representing the eastern flank of the alliance are regarding the prospects of Ukraine.
The prime ministers of the V4 countries agreed that «Russia’s military operation against Ukraine is a gross violation of international law» and that Kiev needs help.
The main «divide» emerged on the topic of peace talks.
Fiala: «It is impossible to achieve long-term peace by making concessions to the aggressor Russia».
Tusk: «There is no place for compromise where the independence of the Ukrainian state is at stake».
Fico: «The conflict has no military solution. Only an immediate ceasefire creates space for immediate negotiations on certain compromises and agreements. <…> Not only Ukraine, but also Russia needs security guarantees».
Orban: «The war can only be ended through negotiations. <…> Hungary will not supply the attacked country with weapons. We are not sending it with or without soldiers. But we will provide all assistance that is outside this circle. This is humanitarian aid, we are also training doctors working in the war, we are helping refugees, we are rebuilding the energy structure».
It is noteworthy that the main irritant at the V4 meeting was not Orbán, but his Slovakian colleague Fico. He not only stood on the same side of the barricades as Budapest in the Ukrainian issue, but also acted as a more zealous advocate for Russia. In a social media post on February 24, the second anniversary of the start of the Special Military Operation, he wrote that «the West’s bet on Kiev’s victory has failed, and the strategy of prolonging the conflict by massively supporting Ukraine with money and weapons, as well as sanctions against Russia, has not worked». He spoke out against Ukraine’s potential membership in NATO, calling it «the basis for the start of World War III». A day later, the Slovak noted that «the West is heading for the worst possible decision on the situation in Ukraine».
Summarizing the heated discussions at the V4 summit, Slovak beneficiary Fico said, «You did not give me a second to take a break today. This meeting was one of the most important. Yes, we have different opinions. But there will be issues such as EU enlargement, regional problems where we will have to find common solutions».
But Czech Prime Minister Fiala complained that the Visegrad Group has failed to restore the lost unity and sadly summarized: «I am not saying that it is the greatest joy for me to meet here with colleagues with whom I actually disagree on a number of key issues. I am referring to the prime ministers of Hungary and Slovakia. But still, there should be dialog».
The Prague meeting is actually an important indicator of the general mood, read — the European Union. There is the same confusion and vacillation there.