46 per cent of Americans have a favourable view of US Vice President JD Vance, while 41 per cent have an unfavourable view of him, according to a new poll by Emerson. By comparison, his most likely 2028 rival, Governor Gavin Newsom of California, had a favourability rating of just 33 per cent and an unfavorability rating of 44 per cent. Emerson underestimated President Trump and the Republicans ahead of the 2024 election.

Hungarian news site Mandiner has revealed that István Kapitány, the Hungarian opposition Tisza Party’s new financial and energy expert, comes from Shell, a company that has made massive extra profits since the outbreak of the Russo–Ukrainian war.

A Századvég survey finds most EU citizens oppose deeper involvement in Ukraine: 51 per cent reject arms shipments, while 69 per cent oppose sending troops. Despite calls from leaders like Ursula von der Leyen and Manfred Weber for accelerated support, public opinion across most member states—including Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovenia—remains firmly against military action.

The minister answered the question: what is the right strategy for Hungary in the constantly changing global political environment?

The European Parliament’s first 2026 plenary session saw debates on the fourth motion of censure of the Commission, the Mercosur trade deal, and Hungary’s SAFE defence fund. Von der Leyen skipped the censure debate, Mercosur was referred to the Court of Justice, and Hungary’s access to SAFE funds faces opposition over alleged ‘corruption’.

The four-day Greenland crisis ended in Davos after Donald Trump ruled out using military force to seize the island, which remains under Danish sovereignty. Instead, he signalled plans to expand the US role in the Arctic through a NATO agreement. The standoff reflects Trump’s familiar negotiating style—but what really happened?

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faces her fourth no-confidence vote in six months on Thursday, after the right-wing Patriots for Europe tabled a new motion of censure. The vote follows a major setback for von der Leyen and the EPP, as the European Parliament sent the EU–Mercosur deal to the Court of Justice for legal review.

Miklós Szánthó of the Center for Fundamental Rights has accused Hungarian opposition candidate Péter Magyar of attacking his institution for revealing that Magyar’s cabinet picks and campaign team are being filled with failed left-wing politicians.

‘Indeed, if anything—as the Hungarian model demonstrates—a healthy sense of Christian nationalism and identity turns out to be protective of Jewish human rights and dignity, certainly in comparison with those Western environments shaped by secular liberalism.’

The European Parliament’s liberal–progressive camp has renewed attacks on Hungary after the Commission approved €16 billion in SAFE defence funding, with Green MEPs urging delays until after April’s election. Despite Kaja Kallas insisting funds will be audited, critics again weaponize the ‘rule of law’ to block Hungary’s military modernization and influence its election.

‘Takaichi claims that internal party polling shows the LDP could potentially win a standalone majority without relying on coalition partners’ seats if snap elections are held now. However, it is unclear whether traditional LDP supporters will be so quick to back the new LDP–Japan Innovation Party alliance over their former Komeito comrades.’

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary will not approve the EU Mercosur trade agreement as long as a national government is in power, accusing Brussels of deceiving farmers and bypassing national parliaments.

‘The goal of the Cyprus Presidency…is aligned with the concept of strategic autonomy: a union that would strengthen the EU’s global role amid geopolitical turmoil. The emphasis on security, defence, energy security, and competitiveness could yield positive results, but it should be noted that while the programme is ambitious…it also stretches beyond the EU’s traditional scope.’

‘The return of the power of the Marque will underscore enduring truths in global affairs: that laws of war bend to state needs, and quasi-legal private forces remain potent instruments.’

In his inauguration speech a year ago today, President Trump spoke about issues of domestic lawfare, border security, energy, peace, territorial expansion, and government efficiency. Now, one year later, it is worth examining: how has his second presidency measured up to those promises?

‘The proof of the slur “woke’s” uselessness is that mass indifference to and aversion toward “woke” policies has done nothing to prevent their enforcement in the first place; therefore, the mass appeal of anti-woke content will likewise do nothing to counter these policies.’

‘Hungarian voters must decide: will they continue to entrust Fidesz with the authority to lead them through the geopolitical storm, or will they take a bet on Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party to lead Hungary with a new style of government?’

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó warned that Budapest would not tolerate foreign interference in its upcoming parliamentary elections, insisting that EU ambassadors refrain from commenting on the vote or its outcome. He added that diplomats who ignore this demand could lose access to Hungary’s senior officials.

‘The PRC’s peaceful rise and commitment to economic partnership and global security is a theme it has projected since its inception in 1949.’

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said Prague should follow examples set by the United States, Hungary and Poland, warned against further guaranteed loans to Ukraine, and argued for reviving regional alliances in an interview with Mandiner.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has received an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join the Gaza Peace Council, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said, while reaffirming Hungary’s rejection of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.

‘The honest takeaway from the year’s first two to three weeks is this: to the American Empire, everything remains on the table. Yet its interest in the world has never been narrower. The United States is not retreating from the globe, but from those regions that no longer yield dividends. For the same reasons, China and Russia will likely follow suit.’

‘In the case of Ukraine and Spain, it also produces circumstantial parallels that obscure the unbridgeable gap between the very natures of the two conflicts, conflating the ideological antagonisms of the 1930s at their most nationally internecine with a globalized, technological war for territory. Far from far-sighted, the mantra that Europe should re-learn forgotten lessons or resign itself to perish here becomes dangerously myopic.’

‘Trump…does not need to “take over” Greenland by force or by acquisition. Instead, he should rely on his artful strategy that has thus far been marked by business pragmatism and a preference for power politics—peace through transaction, that is, cutting a deal.’

‘The warm friendship between President Trump and Prime Minister Orbán is itself a visible sign of hope that we can renew our countries, restore our memory of God, and recover the manifold strengths that Christian Faith brings to the world.’

In his first interview of the year, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary must decide whether to support large-scale EU funding for Ukraine or protect national interests, warning that unconditional aid risks dragging Europe deeper into war.

In a recently published analysis, POLITICO Brussels calls Hungary’s 2026 election the EU’s ‘most important’, while admitting that Brussels is invested in Viktor Orbán’s defeat. The piece frames Péter Magyar as a credible challenger and highlights how the EPP and Renew have embraced Tisza to ‘secure influence over Budapest’—as EU pressure on Hungary continues to mount.

Hungary’s governing Fidesz–KDNP alliance would secure 49 per cent of the vote among committed party supporters if elections were held this Sunday, maintaining an eight-point lead over the Tisza Party, according to a new nationwide poll.

‘The process is now entering its formal stage: the signing ceremony is scheduled for 17 January 2026, in Asunción, Paraguay, where Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa will personally put an end to 25 years of wrangling. However, the signing is not the end of the road, but the beginning of a new struggle.’

According to a new poll released by The Economist, over 70 per cent of Venezuelans think that the political situation will be either a little or much better in their country within 12 months of President Maduro’s capture, while over 50 per cent outright approve of the US military’s operation.