Budapest has launched the first phase of its Green Panel Programme, offering apartment blocks in Kőbánya access to grants for energy-efficient renovations, with the scheme set to expand to other districts to cut emissions and improve living conditions.
What are Russia’s minimum objectives for demonstrating victory? What will happen to Gaza? How can the West persuade Central Asia to cooperate with the US and Europe? We asked a former senior director at the National Security Council in George W Bush’s White House for a year-end analysis of the world’s three major geopolitical conflicts.
US–Hungarian relations are entering a new phase as defence cooperation moves from political signalling to concrete industrial partnerships. Preliminary agreements with Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin mark a strategic shift, strengthening Hungary’s NATO-compatible capabilities and defence-industry base.
Budapest is set to strengthen its green public transport network after the city transport authority secured EU funding for 38 modern trolleybuses, a move that supports fleet renewal, network expansion and long-term sustainability goals in the Hungarian capital.
‘COP30 clearly signals the ongoing transformation of global climate governance. The United States’ partial withdrawal has noticeably weakened Western influence, while China has moved to fill part of the resulting vacuum through a stronger technological presence and a more assertive narrative.’
Hungarian cinema enjoyed a record-breaking year in 2025, as films backed by the National Film Institute passed two billion forints in box-office revenue and drew more than one million viewers, while winning dozens of international awards and boosting the global profile of Hungarian filmmaking.
Hungary’s ambulance service is expanding its fleet as 43 new, state-of-the-art emergency vehicles enter service nationwide, strengthening patient safety and response capacity as part of a broader, multi-year modernization programme.
Budapest’s city assembly has approved the capital’s 2026 budget, setting total revenues and expenditures at more than 532 billion forints. The plan was adopted amid sharp political debate and ongoing concerns over municipal financing and state withdrawals.
Hungary has reaffirmed its full support for US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts, arguing that a negotiated settlement must prevail over what it sees as escalating pro-war policies in Brussels, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in New York.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accused the European Union of undermining member states’ rights by bypassing unanimity on frozen Russian assets, warning that such steps set dangerous precedents and risk dragging the bloc deeper into the war.
‘The report highlights Europe’s growing strategic weakness relative to Asia and the United States, pointing to persistent failures in innovation, a deep aversion to risk, and a regulatory mindset…According to the report, the heavy emphasis on procurement rules and compliance does not foster the technological breakthroughs required for modern warfare.’
About two weeks after political podcaster Tim Pool claimed shots were fired at his rural West Virginia residence, the local police still cannot confirm if the incident actually took place as described. Many questions linger about the incident, with multiple twists and turns in the updates.
The Harlem Globetrotters, the world-famous American basketball show team, will return to Hungary in 2026 as part of their centenary world tour, performing in Veszprém, Szeged, and Budapest with their trademark mix of sport, humour, and spectacle.
‘Rubio has ordered that all official communications of the US government must no longer be set in Calibri but revert to Times New Roman.’
Buying a real Christmas tree is more environmentally friendly than choosing an artificial one, according to a researcher at Hungary’s Ecological Research Centre, who highlights the benefits of locally grown trees and the long-term environmental costs of plastic alternatives.
At an online press conference, Samuel D Samson, Senior Advisor at the US State Department, expressed his gratitude to Hungary for the work it has done on issues such as family support, pursuing peace, and combating censorship. He later described Hungary as ‘a leader in Europe in defending civilizational values’.
Hungary’s 4iG Space and Defence Technologies and Lockheed Martin have signed a preliminary agreement to explore industrial cooperation linked to long-range rocket artillery systems, potentially laying the groundwork for HIMARS-related integration and production activities in Hungary.
Hungary believes that flexibility, technological neutrality and regulatory predictability are essential for environmental policy if Europe is to remain competitive, the country’s environment state secretary said in Brussels amid renewed EU debates on green regulation.
‘The speaker pointed out that the city of Budapest, where the event was taking place, withstood the oppressions of the Mongols, the Ottomans, the Nazis, and the Soviets, yet it remained committed to its Western values. He then likened those oppressions to those coming from the EU, which, he believes, is working to suppress national identity and nationalist and conservative sentiments.’
The University of Debrecen has awarded research astronaut Tibor Kapu an honorary associate professorship, recognizing his contribution to space-based plant research and his role in carrying out experiments developed by the university aboard the International Space Station.
‘With Donald Trump taking office as US president, a whole new era began in Hungarian–American relations, which is also reflected in trade and investment volumes.’
Talent is one of Hungary’s most valuable resources, and how it is identified and nurtured is a shared responsibility, a local MP said at the opening of the Mathias Corvinus Collegium’s new training centre in Szolnok, highlighting the city’s growing role in talent development.
‘Christianity gave birth to the continent’s moral imagination, legal systems, and cultural achievements. To strip schools of this heritage is not neutrality; it is amnesia.’
‘Washington’s unconditional support has given Israel a green light to act rashly, drawing the U.S. into unwanted military engagements.’
Miklós Szánthó warned that Brussels’ plan to seize frozen Russian assets amounts to a ‘message of war’, and spoke out against the EU circumventing Hungary’s veto on the matter. He also shared that at an anti-war rally, PM Viktor Orbán said Europe faces three dangers: war, migration, and political interference from Brussels in national elections.
Criticizing the EU is becoming increasingly difficult with online censorship rules, such as the Digital Services Act, as well as member state rules in France and Germany against ‘insulting’ certain politicians.
What could be God’s stance on homosexuality? Why is the anti-abortion stance a minority view in Finland? What is the problem with the integration of non-Christian migrants? We talked to a former Minister of the Interior of Finland at Axioma Center’s conference about the criminal proceedings initiated against her and the status of freedom of religion and freedom of expression in Finland.
‘Sharabi’s story is one of profound physical and psychological suffering—hunger, loneliness, helplessness—but also of resilience, endurance, and the quiet, repeated choice to stay alive. His memoir bears witness to the bonds formed between hostages, the moments of grace that sustained them, and the inner strength that carried him through.’
‘Imagine if the annulment of a national election result that took place in Romania in 2024 had happened in Hungary…It is not hard to imagine what kind of media coverage it would have gotten had the highest court in Hungary made such a decision…The Western media’s favourite terms, “authoritarian”, “totalitarian”, and “right-wing fascist” would have been used like machine gun fire.’
Italy has joined Belgium, Bulgaria and Malta in resisting the European Commission’s plan to use frozen Russian assets as collateral for a €210 billion loan to Ukraine, warning of profound legal and financial risks. The pushback intensifies scrutiny of Brussels’s decision to invoke emergency powers to sidestep expected vetoes from Hungary and Slovakia.