The Russian Invasion of Ukraine Since 2022: Security Concerns, Political Turns, and Populism
摘要
The chapter focuses on Central Europe during the Russian-Ukrainian war, which started in February 2022. After the beginning of the war, the countries of the region supported Ukraine, with the exception of Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor OrbánOrbán, Viktor continued a pro-Russian course. President Katalin NovákNovák, Katalin did not actively influence Hungarian foreign policy. In Czechia, there were disagreements between the pro-Western government of Petr FialaFiala, Petr and the pro-Russian President Miloš ZemanZeman, Miloš before the war, but the Russian attack marked a radical break in the president’s stance. Zeman clearly condemned the Russian aggression without side-stepping. The consensus continued after Petr PavelPavel, Petr took presidential office in the spring of 2023. In the case of Poland, long-lasting anti-Russian consensus persisted despite a change of government. The Slovak reaction to Russian aggression was initially similar to the Polish one. President Zuzana ČaputováČaputová, Zuzana shared her condemnation of the government of Eduard HegerHeger, Eduard. However, when Robert FicoFico, Robert formed a new government after parliamentary elections in the autumn of 2023, it began manoeuvring between mostly pro-Russian statements and practical steps to stay on the EU course.