Viktor Orban solidifies his credentials as the EU’s pantomime villain
The Hungarian prime minister’s “peace mission” to Russia has peeved Europeans
![The illustration humorously parodies James Bond's iconic gun barrel sequence. Viktor Orbán wears a tuxedo jacket and bow tie, but sports star-patterned boxer shorts and holds a colorful water gun.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240713_EUD000.jpg)
Europeans, with their art-house sensibilities, can rarely match the dramatic heights coming out of Hollywood. At last the action blockbuster genre has crossed the Atlantic, in a series of short films released on social media in recent days. Their unlikely star is one Viktor Orban. Set to rousing music the producers of “Top Gun” might recognise, the clips feature the portly Hungarian prime minister as a latter-day Jason Bourne, striding decisively from motorcade to conference table, then back to his motorcade. Rapid-fire shots leave no doubt as to who is in charge. What the videos lack in terms of explosions and fight scenes they make up for with plenty of world leaders’ hands manfully shaken, documents assertively signed and platitudes emphatically uttered. The impossible mission having been completed, our Hungarian saviour stares into the distance, no doubt ready for a sequel.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Lights! Camera! Diplomatic blundering!”
Europe July 13th 2024
More from Europe
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240803_EUP507.jpg)
The deal that freed Evan Gershkovich was more than a prisoner swap
It freed Russian prisoners of conscience as well as Westerners taken hostage by Vladimir Putin
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240803_EUP001.jpg)
The Olympics are teaching the French to cheer again
France’s politics is a mess, but the games are glorious
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240803_EUP504.jpg)
Humiliated by Azerbaijan, Armenia tacks towards the West
Courting the EU and America without alienating Russia is a difficult trick
Vienna’s social housing, lauded by progressives, pushes out the poor
The city’s most hard-up rely on the private sector
Will a new “pact” of ten laws help Europe ease its migrant woes?
It will require an extraordinary number of institutions to work together
Amid the bombs, Ukrainians rediscover the beach
Odessa gives itself permission to tan again