‘While trade with Russia is usually condemned in principle, even Ukraine, the victim of Russian aggression, allowed the transit of Russian gas and oil to Europe for economic reasons until a few weeks ago. Politics can never escape economic and geographical realities, and why should Hungary be an exception?’    

Balázs Orbán pushed back against accusations from the Hungarian opposition outlet Telex regarding the government’s alleged avoidance of giving interviews to such media. In response to Telex’s article, he published the full interview, demonstrating how opposition media use these opportunities to construct narratives that could harm the Hungarian government, ultimately serving certain foreign interests.

László Varju was convicted of trying to bribe an independent candidate into dropping out to boost his own electoral chances in 2018. He resigned from the Hungarian parliament after his conviction. However, he is also running to fill his own vacant seat in the by-election in March.

US Ambassador to Hungary hopeful Bryan Leib has vowed to hold accountable those who collaborated with David Pressman in his mission to discredit Hungary. ‘Mark my words—actions like this will have serious consequences for all who were involved in this,’ he wrote in a post on X.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused the opposition, in collaboration with NGOs, of attempting to oust him through a so-called colour revolution—mass demonstrations aimed at toppling the government. A closer look at the organizers of the protests reveals a familiar network with links to George Soros and, unsurprisingly, USAID. A clear regional pattern is emerging, yet Hungary remains unaffected.

USAID’s slogan ‘From the American people’ has become extremely controversial since Donald Trump’s crackdown on the agency, during which his team exposed its most dubious tactics in promoting a woke, progressive agenda worldwide using millions of US taxpayer dollars. Hungary has also been significantly affected, with government-critical media outlets and NGOs receiving substantial grants.

‘Things sometimes get back to normal when they are already in a very bad place…But it seems that, both in its recognition of the need to strengthen competitiveness as an objective and in its sub-objectives, the Commission has moved from the ideological to the pragmatic, and this gives strong hope that the next generation will be able to live in a thriving Europe.’

As Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán pointed out, the ‘Trump tornado’ arrived in Brussels on Monday, turning everything upside down during the informal meeting of the European Council, which was also attended by NATO chief Mark Rutte.

‘Given the loss of security and economic credibility of the Western powers in 2008–2009 from a Central European perspective, and the serious economic and energy security challenges Hungary was facing at the time, it was an understandable and legitimate step to begin building pragmatic relations with Moscow 15 years ago and to set the stage for an eastward opening…’

A recent poll by Quinnipiac has found that only 31 per cent of Americans have a favourable view of the Democratic Party, while 56 per cent have an unfavourable view, giving the party an abysmal net favourability rating of negative 26 points. Quinnipiac is a polling firm that has been overestimating liberals in the past.

Viktor Orbán has invited Alice Weidel, co-chair of the German right-wing party Alternative für Deutschland, to Hungary—an invitation she accepted almost immediately. Despite their shared views on key issues, the Hungarian government has previously been cautious in its relations with AfD, fearing economic retaliation from the German mainstream.

Elon Musk takes aim at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a US government-funded NGO, calling it a ‘scam’ and ‘rife with corruption’. Established under Ronald Reagan, NED lost its original purpose after the fall of the Soviet Union and is widely seen as an extended arm of the CIA, interfering in the domestic affairs of foreign countries.

‘Western mainstream parties continue to fall behind as new political realities turn their once-cherished project, mass migration, against them—a development that was foreseeable from the very beginning. While they now attempt to reshape their policies to address the crisis, voters have not forgotten who is responsible for the current situation across Europe.’

‘After 20 years of left–liberal rule, Fidesz’s goal was to stimulate the creation of a much more balanced and pluralistic environment in all segments of society and a country less dependent on any form of foreign influence. In the eyes of ordinary Hungarians, none of the experiences described above called into question the benefits of EU and NATO membership or the conviction that Hungary’s place is in the West.’

On Wednesday, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) finally broke through the firewall that German mainstream parties had imposed on them since the party’s foundation, securing a majority alongside the CDU on a motion for stricter migration rules. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán welcomed the development in a post on his X account.

‘Besides all the bad news, there are sometimes good ones, too, even from difficult regions like the Middle East. After a long time, a new president has been elected in Lebanon,’ Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó commented on the election of Michael Aoun.

On Wednesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán concluded a historic two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, during which he held bilateral talks with UAE President Mohamed Bin Zayed. The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral relations in key areas, including investments, trade, energy, and security, as Hungary seeks to establish a strategic partnership with the Gulf nation.

Despite desperate efforts to capture the attention of the new US administration, Donald Trump’s foreign policy team does not appear interested in engaging with the European Union as a bloc. Instead, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has prioritized bilateral discussions with individual member states. This approach offers European nations an opportunity to reclaim their sovereign foreign policy, which has increasingly been overshadowed and taken over by Brussels in recent years, often against their will.

Donald Trump took an unexpected step on Monday by ordering dozens of senior officials at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to go on administrative leave. USAID has a long history of foreign interference under the pretext of providing aid, including significant grants to Hungarian anti-government media and government-critical NGOs.

By voicing his support for AfD on his platform and challenging the taboo of German national guilt, Elon Musk has emerged as a key figure in the right-wing party’s gradual dismantling the ‘firewall’ that mainstream parties have upheld against it for years.

In an interview on Tara Palmeri’s podcast, journalist Marc Caputo revealed that he was told while working for POLITICO not to write about the Hunter Biden laptop story, which could have damaged Democrat nominee Joe Biden before the 2020 election.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has instructed his cabinet to prepare an agreement to reinstate the double taxation treaty between Hungary and the United States, unilaterally terminated by the Biden administration. The scrapping of the agreement by the previous US government caused significant economic and political harm to Hungary.

In his inaugural address, Donald Trump did not skimp on sweeping promises and tough talk. The old-new President of the United States promised a new golden age for the country, decisive action to protect its economic interests, as well as immediate measures to curb illegal migration.

Ex-S&D politician and former MEP Maria Arena has recently been charged with participating in a criminal organization. The Belgian politician is joining the line of former MEPs who are facing formal accusations of making political favours for countries such as Qatar and Morocco in exchange for monetary reward.

From deep Appalachia to the White House, JD Vance has travelled a long road to becoming the 50th Vice President of the US. Along the way, his political views have evolved, shifting from opposing Trump to becoming a staunch MAGA Republican. Vance also loves Hungary, and he is not shy about it—he is one of the most vocal supporters of Viktor Orbán and his policies overseas.

‘Unlike France and Germany, Hungary has not been affected by cultural Marxism or wokeist ideology, so our peoples—Latin American and Hungarian—fundamentally share the same values, based on love for God, country and family.’

The latest episode of the Danube Institute’s podcast examines the emerging new world order under a Donald Trump presidency. Hosted by Rod Dreher, the episode features expert predictions on significant shifts in US foreign policy and their broader global implications.

An Afghan migrant, killed two people, including a toddler, in a knife attack in the German city of Aschaffenburg. The tragic incident marks the fourth immigration-related attack in just over six months, further heightening tensions ahead of the early elections in February.

The European Commission has decided to suspend Vienna’s Modul University from participating in the Erasmus+ and Horizon programmes, mirroring a similar decision made against 21 Hungarian universities in late 2022. Balázs Orbán, the political director of the Hungarian prime minister, condemned the decision as outrageous and pledged to defend academic freedom.

Donald Trump’s second presidency may bring a trade war between the EU and the United States. According to German weekly Die Zeit, Viktor Orbán could play a pivotal role in the trade negotiations should that happen.