Democracy Digest: Giving the V3 Sign to Orban

"I have always supported the V4 and I am very sorry that cheap Russian oil is more important to Hungarian politicians than Ukrainian blood. #SlavaUkraini," she tweeted.

The Czech defence minister added that with elections in Hungary imminent, "it is not right for me to take part in the campaign".

Cernochova's approach is in line with the policy direction of the five-party centre-right government of which she is a member. Since taking over from Orban's populist ally Andrej Babis in December, the government of Petr Fiala has pledged to reassert Czechia's EU/NATO orientation, and made very clear its disagreement with Hungary's more ambiguous geopolitical leanings.

Poland has also resolutely turned its back on Hungary over the war in Ukraine and the refusal of Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak to attend the V4 meeting cemented this fact.

The decision was made personally by another of Orban's erstwhile allies, Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, according to sources inside the ruling party quoted by website wp.pl.

"For the president (of PiS Kaczynski), the situation is not easy, because for years he had personally nurtured the relationship with Orban," a politician from the ruling camp told the portal. "The PiS-Fidesz alliance is the political child of Kaczynski. But today many things have changed and Orban stopped being a friend."

Polish President Andrzej Duda also distanced himself from Orban in public statements this week and Polish Deputy Minister Wojciech Skurkiewicz told the Radio Information Agency (IAR) that, "what is going on around the V4 gives no reason for optimism."

The end of the Warsaw-Budapest alliance could potentially bring high costs for the Polish government, so the decision can't...