Viktor Orban said on July 19 that Ursula von der Leyen -- who was reelected on July 18 for a second term as European Commission president and has been a constant critic of the Hungarian prime minister's close relationship with Moscow and his rule-of-law backsliding -- is just an "employee," not an adversary.
Orban, whose country took over the EU's six-month rotating presidency on July 1, has been a constant opponent of European support for embattled Ukraine and sanctions against Moscow.
Earlier this month he went on a self-styled "peace mission" to Moscow and Beijing that attracted the ire of the commission's chief and the leaders of the bloc's other member countries. He then met with former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican Party's candidate in the upcoming U.S. presidential election in November.
"Von der Leyen is not our political opponent, she is our employee, and yours too," Orban said during his regular Friday morning "interview" with Hungarian state radio on July 19.
"Von der Leyen's task is to implement the line outlined by the prime ministers. Since she receives her salary from member states, she is in a relationship of dependence," Orban said.
Orban's remarks came after von der Leyen, in her speech in the European Parliament ahead of the vote that reconfirmed her as commission chief, called Orban's trips an "appeasement mission."
Orban also urged the other EU heads of state and government to be more effective in holding von der Leyen "accountable," saying her performance had been "very poor."
SEE ALSO: Profile: With Von Der Leyen Approved For A Second Term, EU Centrists Find Temporary RefugeDuring her first five-year term, von der Leyen, a former German defense minister, steered the EU through several crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and has been a main proponent of a Green Deal aiming to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050.
Under Orban, the leader of the right-wing populist Fidesz party who has been in power since 2010, Hungary has been accused of eroding the rule of law and democratic rights amid reports of growing corruption and cronyism. Billions of euros in EU funds earmarked for Hungary have been blocked over the bloc's concerns.
Orban told Hungarian state radio on July 19 that he would continue his "peace mission" and said that a Trump victory in the U.S. presidential election in the United States would bring "peace" to global politics.
"Trump is clear about what he is going to do. Why do we want to be left behind? This will also change the Europeans' situation. The essence of politics is to know where the epicenter of events will be," Orban said.
Orban's remarks come after he sent a letter to EU leaders on July 16 saying that while the United States is "at the moment heavily preoccupied with the presidential campaign," Trump is ready to act "immediately" as a peace broker if he gets reelected.