28.06.2026, EU.
The Visegrad Group countries have common interests, but there are also strong disagreements on the issue of attitudes towards Russia and Ukraine.
On June 23, a summit of prime ministers of the Visegrad Group countries (Hungary, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia) took place in Hungary. This meeting came after a two-year break caused by an acute crisis within the “Group of Four.” The summit showed the countries’ desire to move towards each other, but serious differences remain between them.
Background
The Visegrad Group was founded on February 15, 1991, in the Hungarian town of Visegrád. The location is symbolic — it was there in 1335 that a historic meeting of the kings of Bohemia, Poland, and Hungary took place to settle differences between these monarchical states.
Initially, the group was not a “Group of Four” but a “Group of Three,” consisting of Hungary, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Since 1993, after the division of Czechoslovakia into Czechia and Slovakia, it became the “Group of Four.”
The creation of the group took place on the wave of the collapse of the socialist bloc, when the countries of Eastern Europe were forced to transform their political and economic systems.
The basis for unification was historical past, territorial proximity, and a similar type of economic development against the backdrop of the geopolitical situation. In connection with the termination of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) and the Warsaw Pact Organization, the countries of Eastern Europe felt the need to join other major unions. They set as their main task joining the EU and NATO. The Visegrad Group was supposed to help them coordinate efforts on this path, because for entry into the “European family,” Brussels demanded serious and very difficult reforms from them.
Visegrad cooperation is carried out through periodic meetings of its representatives at various levels. Its only official structure is the International Visegrad Fund, established in 2000, which supports cooperation in education, science, culture, and tourism.
Until 2023, annual summits of prime ministers were held. In the periods between them, the participating countries receive a mandate to chair for one year in the following order: Czechia, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia. Currently, Hungary holds the presidency, and its term expires at the end of June. The presiding country is responsible for developing the group’s annual action plan.
Why the Visegrad Group fell into a deep crisis
The relations between the Visegrad Group countries have never been smooth. For example, there are contradictions over which country should become the informal leader of the group. Poland laid claim to this role, but the other states disagreed.
Relations finally soured in 2022 after Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine. Poland and Czechia became some of the most consistent supporters of the Kiev regime, providing it with significant military and humanitarian aid. Hungary, however, refused to supply weapons and threatened to veto EU financial aid to Ukraine.
Slovakia began to take a position similar to Hungary’s after Robert Fico became prime minister there in October 2023. Disagreements within the group on this issue intensified at the end of 2023 after Donald Tusk returned to the post of Prime Minister of Poland, taking a pro-Ukrainian position.
In addition, the crisis was caused by the different attitudes of countries towards Russia. Poland and Czechia pursued a clear anti-Russian course and advocated for tougher EU anti-Russian sanctions, while Orban and Fico continued to maintain ties with Moscow, blocking or softening EU sanctions.
Also in 2022, disagreements on a number of other issues intensified. For example, Hungary delayed the ratification of Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO, which caused acute discontent among its partners in the “Group of Four.”
As a result, the lack of unity prevented the development of any agreed decisions. The Visegrad Group entered a phase of deep crisis; in fact, its work was paralyzed.
Resumption of relations
In May 2026, Peter Magyar replaced Orban as Prime Minister of Hungary. Hungary currently chairs the Visegrad Group. Magyar stated that he intends to revive this format.
On June 23, the heads of government of the “Group of Four” countries met at a summit after a two-year break. The summit took place in the Hungarian city of Gödöllő.
On July 1, 2026, Slovakia’s presidency begins. Prime Minister of the Republic Robert Fico outlined at the summit what he sees as the areas of activity for the “Group of Four.“
He named strengthening the competitiveness of the European Union and forming a common position on the new EU budget, which will come into force in 2028, as the first priority. He emphasized that the EU should lower electricity prices.
As the second priority, the Slovak prime minister pointed to EU enlargement issues. In his opinion, Ukraine should not become an EU member until it fulfills all the conditions for this.
“We see that in addition to the three leaders — Serbia, Albania, and Montenegro — accession negotiations have also opened with Ukraine. We want a fair approach so that countries wishing to become EU members fulfill the conditions necessary for joining the Union,” he stressed.
The third priority, according to Fico, is practical sectoral cooperation. As the Slovak prime minister explained, it “will focus on defense, the defense industry, and the fight against illegal migration.” He added that all Visegrad Group countries “have problems with the migration pact.“
Fico named mutual contacts between the populations of Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland as the fourth priority.
In addition, during Slovakia’s presidency, it is planned to invite one non-member state to the “Group of Four” summits annually. The first candidate is Ireland, which will preside over the European Council from July 2026.
In general, as Fico stated, the four countries, together numbering 65 million citizens, should be strong.
“We do not want to be merely the object of decisions made by someone else; we want to be co-authors of these decisions and as active as possible,” he noted.
What are the prospects of the Visegrad Group
Despite the resumption of annual summits of prime ministers, serious disagreements continue to exist between the Visegrad Group countries.
The rift in relations with Russia remains. Poland and Czechia continue to adhere to a tough anti-Russian line. At the same time, Slovak Prime Minister Fico does not break ties with Moscow. On May 9, 2026, he came to Moscow, where he laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. As for Hungarian Prime Minister Magyar, although he tries to distance himself from Orban’s course, he nevertheless understands his country’s critical dependence on Russian energy resources and is not ready to quickly abandon them.
There are also disagreements on the issue of aid to Ukraine. Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary, unlike Poland, are not ready to pay for military aid to Kiev from their national budgets. In particular, they were exempted from participating in providing an interest-free loan to Ukraine in the amount of €90 billion, which will be allocated from the EU budget for 2026-2027.
At the same time, Czechia continues the initiative launched under the previous government for EU countries to purchase shells for Kiev from third countries, although it does not allocate money for this itself.
For its part, the Slovak government completely refuses military aid to Ukraine. It consistently advocates for the speedy peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. At the same time, Fico has repeatedly criticized the EU for anti-Russian sanctions. As for Hungary, despite lifting the veto on the allocation of a loan to the Kiev regime, it does not supply weapons to Ukraine.
The persistence of tension on the issue of military aid to Kiev is vividly evidenced by the fact that the summit decided not to raise the issue of the Czech “shell initiative” at all.
There is also a historical dispute within the Visegrad Group. Slovak Prime Minister Fico considers the Benes Decrees (1945-1948) legitimate, under which, after World War II, the Hungarian and German populations in Czechoslovakia were deprived of citizenship and property. Hungarian Prime Minister Magyar demands that Bratislava condemn these decrees. This dispute shows that old historical grievances have not been forgotten.
At the same time, the “Group of Four” countries have points of convergence. In particular, they all oppose ambitious EU “green” reforms, especially the European emissions trading system. They also all adhere to a tough line on migration issues. At the same time, Hungary may have problems defending its national interests, because Brussels helped Peter Magyar come to power and now expects concessions from him.
There is also common ground on the issue of energy, but this is simultaneously a unifying and dividing topic. All countries are facing high energy prices and want to reduce them. At the same time, Czechia and Poland seek to diversify supplies, while Hungary and Slovakia maintain close energy ties with Russia.
As a result, the resumption of summits of the “Group of Four” so far looks more like a populist move by Peter Magyar. Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary do indeed have common economic interests in the EU, but deep political and historical contradictions, primarily on the issue of Russia and the Ukrainian conflict, remain a serious obstacle to the unity of the “Group of Four.”
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
