‘Ukraine’s agile innovations and Russia’s scaled standardization both demonstrate how gaming culture can bolster sovereignty against aggression, yet unchecked, it threatens to dissolve the human element in warfare, turning soldiers into avatars in a perpetual virtual arena.’
At his annual State of the Nation Address, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary stated that the oil business, the banking sector, and the Brussels elite are trying to form a government in Hungary through the opposition Tisza Party. If they were to succeed, international corporations would siphon billions of forints out of the country, hurting Hungarian families, he warned.
Budapest’s culture draws tourists through architecture, music, film, and cuisine. Experts at a BP Műhely panel highlighted how residents shape the city’s image, from service workers to everyday curiosity, while sports and party districts diversify the capital’s appeal on the global stage.
The Republican Representatives in the US House, joined by one Democrat, have passed the SAVE Act, which would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require proof of US citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. The bill is now headed to the Senate, where it will have a tough fight to clear the 60-vote filibuster threshold, despite the GOP’s majority in the Chamber.
Budapest’s municipality has begun construction on the Demo Hub, a pilot project under the EU co-financed AHA Budapest programme, transforming a long-vacant school building in Újpest into 26 energy-efficient affordable homes.
‘Is Donald Trump really weakening Europe? Or is it the fact that we have admitted millions of people whom we are unable to integrate? Over a 50–100-year horizon, this will fundamentally reshape our societies.’
Hungary’s Transport Ministry held a workshop on integrating stronger traffic education into the revised Traffic Code, focusing on early childhood training, unified methodology and a national action plan to improve road safety.
Hungary got Ukraine for a politically charged clash, as well as Georgia and Northern Ireland for their UEFA Nations League group opponents in League B of the competition. The games will be played this fall.
Francesca Albanese has a long track record of antisemitic remarks and denunciations of Israel, for which she has faced repeated condemnation and even sanctions from the Trump administration.
‘Eventually, a compromise was reached, and Kyiv was authorized to procure weapons from outside the bloc…In exchange for the purchases, these non-EU countries are required to participate in the cost of the loan. Brussels will negotiate the exact level of “fair and proportionate” contributions with each partner country individually.’
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said a Brussels–Kyiv alliance is seeking to remove Hungary’s national government as an obstacle to fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU accession, arguing that political change in Budapest is central to the plan.
In a recent episode of the Brussels Playbook Podcast, POLITICO’s Chief EU Correspondent Zoya Sheftalovich has explained that the EU leadership is hiding information about Ukraine’s planned accession to help Péter Magyar defeat Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the upcoming Hungarian elections. If PM Orbán does prevail, the EU is even willing to strip Hungary of its voting rights, she also revealed.
‘The rules-based international order fragmenting, uncertainty growing, and conflicts multiplying around the world, this year’s conference is taking place at a fundamental turning point.’
From the collapse of USAID to debates over federalism and decentralization, speakers argued that aid and political models in the Middle East must be grounded in realism, accountability and respect for lived realities rather than abstract ideals.
New data from the Kiel Institute reveal a decisive turning point in the Ukraine war: Europe, not the United States, has become Kyiv’s primary military and financial backer. As Washington scales down support under Donald Trump, European governments are assuming the burden—transforming the conflict from a mainly American proxy war into Europe’s own geopolitical and economic responsibility.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has condemned Brussels’s reported plan to fast-track Ukraine into the European Union by 2027 as ‘an open declaration of war’ against Hungary. He warned that proposals to remove his veto—through electoral change or stripping Hungary’s voting rights—amount to a direct assault on national sovereignty and democratic choice.
MCC Brussels has launched the Democracy Interference Observatory (DIO) to investigate how EU institutions, regulators, digital platforms, and EU-funded NGOs influence national elections. The Observatory will begin its work with the 2026 Hungarian parliamentary elections, examining emerging patterns of regulatory pressure, narrative coordination, and information control across Europe.
From Kurdish self-governance to the UAE’s federal model, speakers at an MCC–Danube Institute conference argued that the Middle East’s minority question demands multiple, locally grounded solutions rather than one-size-fits-all answers.
A transgender teenager who had identified as a woman since 2023 killed ten people and wounded at least 35 in a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia, Canada. Reports that the perpetrator kept guns at home and shared shooting videos on a transgender-themed gun forum are intensifying alarm over the dangers of transgender ideology to young people and society.
Super Bowl LX was viewed by 124.9 million people last Sunday. That is a drop of 2.8 million viewers from last year’s audience of 127.7 million. Puerto Rican reggaeton singer Bad Bunny’s performance was viewed by more people than the actual game. However, that is typical, and it lost even more viewers compared to the last halftime show by Kendrick Lamar, going from 133.5 to 128.2 million viewers.
‘The establishment of stronger institutional checks and balances reflects Kazakhstan’s continued commitment to political modernization and governance reform.’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel will be one of the featured speakers at CPAC Hungary 2026 this March, The Times of Israel has reported. The information has since been confirmed by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office as well.
At the Budapest Global Dialogue 2026, FM Péter Szijjártó accused Brussels of mishandling every major crisis over the past 25 years, while highlighting that Hungary’s break from EU leadership has led to favourable outcomes for the country. Also, panellists debated a fractured world order, the limits of liberal hegemony, and the growing role of middle powers amidst rising great-power competition.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Budapest after the Munich Security Conference to meet senior Hungarian officials for talks on peace initiatives, regional security, and energy cooperation. The announcement follows Viktor Orbán’s planned Washington trip to attend the inauguration meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.
Hungary was widely mocked a year ago for warning that Brussels planned to fast-track Ukraine’s EU accession. Now, POLITICO Brussels has outlined a concrete roadmap to bring Kyiv into the bloc by 2027—including waiting for Viktor Orbán’s removal or even stripping Hungary of its voting rights—confirming fears once dismissed as conspiracy.
Hungary’s public finances remain in order, with the 2026 budget ensuring funding for key family, pensioner and small business support programmes despite the prolonged war and an unfavourable external economic climate, the National Economy Ministry said.
The third Budapest Global Dialogue kicked off on 9 February with an opening panel warning that censorship, supranational pressure, and ideological regulation are eroding democracy across the West. Speakers including Balázs Orbán and US Under Secretary Sarah B Rogers argued that free speech and national sovereignty now stand at the centre of a widening transatlantic political struggle.
‘All Hungarian political parties are entitled to have representatives present at every polling station nationwide, where they participate directly in the vote count…In addition to this multiparty oversight, independent election observers…are free to move between polling stations on election day to verify the process. These safeguards ensure that election-day results cannot be manipulated.’
Activists from the UK-based Women’s Safety Initiative took to the streets of London dressed as the viral right-wing meme Amelia to protest migrant-linked violence against women. The demonstration turned an online symbol into a real-world political statement and highlighted Amelia’s emergence as a rallying point against Keir Starmer’s government and its attempts to censor dissenting voices.
European Pravda editor-in-chief Sergiy Sydorenko launched a public attack on Hungarian conservative media and PM Viktor Orbán after receiving an interview request from Mandiner. He called the outlet ‘vile propaganda’ and urged Ukrainian officials to avoid Hungarian right-wing media. European Pravda is funded mainly by Western sources, including the EU and the National Endowment for Democracy.