Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Hungary’s decision to ban a Ukrainian commander tied to Druzhba strikes, accusing Budapest of hypocrisy in a rare Hungarian-language post. Lithuania and Poland joined Kyiv in denouncing the ban, calling it a shameful act.
Israel has recovered the body of Ilan Weiss, a 56-year-old hostage of Hungarian origin, from Gaza. Weiss was killed defending Kibbutz Be’eri during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack. His wife and daughter, once hostages themselves, were freed last November and later visited Hungary.
Irish rap group Kneecap announced the cancellation of its sold-out US tour as member Liam Ó hAnnaidh faces terrorism charges in London. The decision comes weeks after Hungary banned the band from performing at Budapest’s Sziget Festival.
A new flashpoint in Polish–Ukrainian ties emerged after President Karol Nawrocki proposed outlawing Bandera symbols, branding them equal to Nazi insignia. While Warsaw frames the bill as historical justice, Kyiv condemned it as a hostile act, warning of consequences for bilateral relations.
As peace talks gain momentum, Russia demands Ukrainian neutrality and security guarantees from global powers, including UN Security Council members. China, despite denying plans for peacekeepers, remains open to diplomatic involvement, aligning with Xi Jinping’s earlier principles for ending the war.
A young American was stabbed in the face early Sunday in Dresden after intervening during harassment on a tram. Police briefly held a Syrian man before releasing him for lack of evidence, while the attacker remains at large. The case fuels controversy amid Germany’s migrant crime debate and AfD’s rise.
Tensions escalated after Zelenskyy warned that the ‘fate of the Druzhba pipeline’ hinges on Hungary’s stance toward Ukraine’s EU bid. FM Szijjártó hit back on X, urging Kyiv to stop ‘threatening Hungary,’ while Ukrainian FM Sybiha told Budapest to ‘diversify’ and not lecture the president.
A Russian missile strike on Mukachevo (Munkács) on 21 August injured 23 and marked the first hit on Transcarpathia in the war’s three years. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán pledged medical support from Hungarian hospitals and stressed that peace efforts must continue to protect ethnic Hungarians.
Budapest’s St Stephen’s Day celebrations drew a record crowd, with over 798,000 visitors detected via mobile data—a 12.5 per cent rise from last year. The fireworks alone attracted more than 450,000 people, including nearly 89,000 foreign tourists, marking a 27 per cent surge compared to 2024.
Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday that Hungary is ready to host potential Putin–Zelenskyy talks to end the war in Ukraine. With Trump’s administration eyeing Budapest as a possible location, the city has emerged as a strong contender—but also a divisive one, drawing a sharp rebuke from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who warned against repeating past failures.
On 20 August, Hungary marked its 1025th anniversary as a state, commemorating St Stephen’s foundation of the Christian kingdom. Leaders worldwide—from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and EU Council President António Costa to Armenia’s Nikol Pashinyan and Gulf partners—extended congratulations.
After the European Council meeting on the Alaska summit, Viktor Orbán argued that Brussels’ Ukraine strategy had collapsed—its isolation policy, battlefield expectations, and membership promises as security guarantee all failed. With Trump’s team eyeing Budapest as the venue for a potential Putin–Zelenskyy summit, Hungary’s influence in Europe could be significantly bolstered.
Inspired by a Hungarian pupil, Pariposa Preschool in Singapore hosted a cultural session led by Chargé d’Affaires Edit Kerekes. Children explored Hungarian words, music, and traditions, part of the embassy’s wider mission to connect and engage Singapore’s active Hungarian community.
A historic Putin–Zelenskyy summit may soon take place in Hungary, US officials confirmed after Trump’s White House meeting with Zelenskyy and EU leaders. The summit, to be followed by a trilateral session with Trump, could mark a breakthrough in efforts to end the war.
Tensions flared between Budapest and Kyiv after Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused Ukraine of striking the Druzhba oil pipeline, vital for Hungary’s energy supply. His Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha shot back, blaming Hungary’s reliance on Russia and telling Budapest to address its ‘friends in Moscow’.
Alaska hosted more than a summit last Friday—it staged the funeral of the liberal order. Trump and Putin’s display of power buried the post-Cold War consensus, sidelined Europe, and offered Russia a new role in an emerging world order no longer defined by Western institutions.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó spoke with both Washington and Moscow after the Trump–Putin summit in Alaska, stressing Hungary’s consistent call for peace. As the only EU state briefed by both sides, Budapest now holds a unique insight into Russia’s real intentions regarding a potential ceasefire agreement.
Following their Alaska meeting, Trump and Putin said they had reached an agreement to be presented to Ukraine and NATO. Putin called it a step toward securing Ukraine’s safety, while Trump admitted significant points still need to be negotiated.
A Newsweek op-ed by Ilya Shapiro and Charles Yockey hails Hungary’s university reform as a template for conservatives, claiming Western campuses have abandoned neutrality for ideological enforcement. They argue the foundation model ensures accountability and academic freedom across the political spectrum.
Trump and Putin’s Alaska summit aims to test the waters for a Ukraine ceasefire, with Russia pressing its advantage after fresh territorial gains. The US holds secondary tariff threats over Moscow, while the EU and Kyiv fight to keep their voice in any deal.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary could cause Ukraine’s collapse within a day by cutting energy supplies but has no intention of doing so. He declared ‘Ukraine has lost the war, Russia has won,’ adding that only Western aid is delaying the inevitable.
A Forsa poll shows Germany’s AfD ahead of the CDU, 26 to 24 per cent, the biggest lead since February’s election. The result mirrors a rightward trend across Europe, with Austria’s FPÖ, France’s National Rally and Reform UK also dominating national polls.
This year’s US human rights report on Hungary marks a dramatic break from the Biden years, omitting past allegations on media freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, and corruption. Instead, it commends government action in several areas—a change Budapest calls a return to ‘respect’.
European leaders’ obsession with the Munich analogy ahead of the Trump–Putin summit is turning history into a political crutch. Leaders warn of appeasement, yet ignore the radically different context of today’s war, risking self-imposed irrelevance in peace talks and handing strategic advantage to Washington and Moscow.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán vetoed an EU joint statement on the upcoming Trump–Putin summit in Alaska, breaking with the bloc’s 26 other members. While they welcomed Trump’s peace efforts, Orbán argued the EU should not set conditions for talks it was not invited to, urging instead an EU–Russia summit to ensure Europe’s voice in the process.
During an 11 August press conference at the White House, Donald Trump said he had sought advice from Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on whether Ukraine can defeat Russia, calling the insight ‘very interesting’. Trump is set to meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday to discuss a potential peace framework for the war in Ukraine.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has called on France and Germany to take a leading role in engaging Russia ahead of the Trump–Putin meeting in Alaska on 15 August. Orbán stressed that Paris and Berlin, as key EU powers, must initiate an EU–Russian summit to ensure Europe is not sidelined in critical negotiations.
In an interview with Le Figaro, political director of the Hungarian prime minister Balázs Orbán discussed Hungary’s approach to Europe’s challenges, including the war in Ukraine and migration, while defending what is often labelled as ‘Orbánism’.
As CEO of Aletihad News Centre, Hamad Al-Kaabi is a key figure in shaping public discourse in the United Arab Emirates. During MCC Feszt in Esztergom, he spoke to Hungarian Conservative about the deepening Hungary–UAE partnership, the role of AI in bilateral ties, and why the two countries are closer in values than geography suggests.
Kyiv dismissed claims by Hungarian FM Péter Szijjártó that it refused to investigate the violent death of a Transcarpathian Hungarian man at the hands of conscription officers. The Ukrainian DBR insists a criminal case is ongoing, and forensic examination did not reveal any signs of external physical abuse.