The first-ever EU–Central Asia summit has just kicked off as Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa arrived in Uzbekistan. Brussels is now trying to assert its influence over the region, which is widely seen as one of the future economic and trade powerhouses. However, most EU member states lack the deep connections and relationships with the Central Asian republic, except for one: Hungary.

Director General of the Center for Fundamental Rights Miklós Szánthó has drawn attention to the hypocrisy that, while the European Parliament is not willing to even discuss revoking the immunity of Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar, who is charged with assault and theft, the EP has already revoked the immunity of two Polish conservative MEPs for standing up against the Tusk administration.

The United States is imposing a 20 per cent import tariff on the European Union and a 34 per cent tariff on China, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday. Speaking at a White House ceremony, he signed the new trade policy into law, emphasizing the need for reciprocal tariffs to address trade imbalances.

However, a ballot initiative calling for a state constitutional amendment requiring photo IDs for elections also passed in the important swing state of Wisconsin.

‘Many accused the court’s ruling of depriving the electorate the chance of deciding who is fit to hold political office in France. Rather than disqualifying Le Pen from the presidential race, it could have been decided to merely fine the party for the misappropriated funds. The ban on running for office is widely seen as a disproportionate intervention into the political affairs of the country…’

The White House has confirmed that the new US tariff system will take effect immediately upon presidential approval, starting Wednesday. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that President Donald Trump and his trade policy team have been working until the last moment to finalize the measures.

The Danube Institute’s two-day conference on family formation and demographic decline continued with a panel discussion comparing Hungarian and American policies and perspectives on the issue. Participants agreed that the West faces a civilizational crisis but expressed hope in the Trump administration’s shift—led by Vice President JD Vance—toward a pro-family approach.

Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has criticized the French court ruling that bars Marine Le Pen from running for office, calling it an attempt to deprive citizens of their right to vote. The decision, he argues, weakens French democracy rather than strengthening it.

‘Lovinger explained the weaponization of the federal investigative process, describing how the ONA and other US state bodies had been captured by lawless, self-serving individuals to whom blackmail and corruption were beyond business as usual—they were a method and a system.’

According to POLITICO, Germany’s incoming government plans to call on the European Union to withhold funds and suspend voting rights from member states deemed to be ‘misbehaving’. The news fits into a broader, coordinated campaign by pro-war forces seeking to sideline Hungary—the only country currently standing in the way of the EU’s potential escalation into open conflict with Russia.

Budapest witnessed rare protests in recent days, as demonstrators rallied against what they describe as a ‘Pride-ban’—an amendment to the law on the right of assembly, which imposes stricter conditions on mass events that violate the child protection law. Among the speakers was the infamous German MEP Daniel Freund, who effectively admitted that Brussels has been working for years to oust Viktor Orbán’s government, with the current demonstrations being no exception.

The Hungarian Institute of International Affairs presented its comprehensive study on the potential consequences of fast-tracking Ukraine’s accession to the European Union at a panel discussion organized by Mathias Corvinus Collegium. Experts agreed that the EU must identify alternative means of supporting Ukraine’s stabilization and long-term development beyond full membership.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accused opposition parties of engaging in a ‘competition of provocations’ ahead of next year’s elections. Speaking on public Kossuth Radio, he addressed topics ranging from rural development and economic measures to European security and Hungary’s stance on war.

‘A right-wing candidate who was allowed to enter the race is George Simion from the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR)…While back in November polls failed to predict Georgescu’s victory, currently George Simion seems to be among the electorate’s favourites for the presidential role.’

Poles increasingly view support for Ukraine as a burden on the nation, with public sentiment shifting rapidly in a negative direction. This is clearly reflected in the rising popularity of Sławomir Mentzen, the presidential candidate of the right-wing Konfederacja, who is firmly opposed to the war and to unconditional support for Kyiv.

According to Head of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will pay an official visit to Hungary in the next few weeks. The visit was set in defiance of an international arrest warrant for the Israeli leader.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Hungary’s energy security has faced constant and varied threats—from strikes on Russian gas pipelines to the suspension of transit through Ukraine. However, if the current ceasefire agreement is implemented effectively, Budapest could finally experience stability in this regard.

The 2024 election marked the fourth consecutive US presidential election where the popular vote margin was within five points—an unprecedented occurrence in US history. The last candidate to win the popular vote by more than 10 points was Republican Ronald Reagan in 1984. Why are US presidential elections so close in the 21st century?

‘Likud joining forces with PfE shook the liberal establishment. This can be measured by the intensity of their rhetoric. Patriots ought to look out for such signals from mainstream media: wherever they try to undermine you, it means you have done something right. This is the signal to close ranks and pursue whichever course of action caused this reaction in the first place.’

German outlet Deutsche Welle has published an interview with Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar which, in essence, serves as a propaganda piece. The questions appear crafted to be favourable from the outset, while crucial details about Magyar’s political trajectory—both before and after his rise—are conveniently omitted. Our takeaways follow.

‘The defence of democracy, human rights, and sovereignty cannot be contingent on political expediency or the geopolitical convenience of targeting smaller or less powerful states. A genuinely united Europe must demonstrate a consistent and impartial commitment to its principles, respecting the agency of all member states.’

‘Western media is…in a frenzy about an impending electoral upset in Hungary. Péter Magyar is being touted by some as “the biggest threat Hungary’s Viktor Orbán has faced in 15 years”. Much of this assessment is based on polling for the upcoming 2026 election…Yet when we look at the polling closely, we see that there are major discrepancies which lead one to seriously question its accuracy.’

‘If Brussels clings to this policy [on Ukraine], Europe will further weaken itself and become increasingly irrelevant on the global stage,’ State Secretary of the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister Balázs Hidvéghi warned in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.

Alan J Kuperman, in a rare opinion piece published by The Hill, breaks with the Western narrative on the causes of the war in Ukraine, acknowledging that Donald Trump is right about most of the factors behind the conflict. This ultimately means Hungary was right as well, as the Hungarian government’s position on the war closely aligns with that of the US president.

‘The current course [of the EU] leads straight to disintegration,’ Balázs Orbán pointed out in his keynote address at an event at Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) in Budapest, focusing on the recently published joint report by MCC and the Polish Ordo Iuris Institute on the urgent need for EU reform. Orbán’s speech was followed by a panel discussion featuring the report’s authors, Jerzy Kwaśniewski of Ordo Iuris and Rodrigo Ballester of MCC, alongside Director General of the Center for Fundamental Rights Miklós Szánthó.

The leader of Belgium’s most important Flemish nationalist movement in decades has been put in charge of a right-leaning coalition in the country he once vowed to split.

According to reporting by POLITICO, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó of Hungary to have the Hungarian government lift its veto on the renewal of sanctions on Russia by the EU. Hungary eventually did refrain from using its veto power, and thus the sanctions have been renewed for another six months.

‘On the day the US temporarily halted military aid to Ukraine, Kellogg delivered a speech at CFR in Washington, DC. He emphasized that Ukraine had several opportunities to sign the US–Ukraine $500 billion Minerals Deal, including during his visit to Kyiv on 19 February and during Zelenskyy’s last trip to Washington, which is unlikely to be remembered as a successful diplomatic effort.’

‘There is a historic chance for US–Hungary relations to peak, and it depends in no small part on the two leading players. Even though Hungary is a member of the EU and NATO, in the last two decades, American Democratic administrations have been explicitly hostile towards it…With the US president behind him, Orbán could be much more effective in strengthening his conservative agenda in Brussels, which until now has been an uphill struggle.’

‘Hungary’s unique historical background and geographic location make it a harbinger of fresh geopolitical guidelines, political standards and new norms. The country’s pragmatism in international relationships and capacity to preserve its strategic autonomy while still engaging with world bodies provide important inspiration for countries negotiating the challenges of modern global politics.’