Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is promoting Hungary as Europe’s safest Christmas destination in a new video posted on X. Inviting tourists to ‘experience Europe the way it should be,’ he also stressed that Hungary pays a daily €1 million fine for not opening its borders to illegal migrants.
Tamás Menczer said Viktor Orbán was right to warn Zelenskyy that time was against Ukraine in the war against Russia. In a Facebook post, he argues Trump’s proposed peace plan proves this, as it would require Ukraine to cede lost territories in exchange for frozen Russian assets and a limited path to postwar reconstruction under the deal.
‘“Within half a year, our bilateral relations gained new momentum, and the unsuccessful, troubled period may be replaced by a new American–Hungarian golden age,” wrote Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky on his social media page after meeting Chargé d’Affaires Robert J Palladino of the US Embassy in Budapest, who is leaving the capital upon the expiration of his interim mandate.’
‘While Hungary called for more oversight and transparency, the European Parliament’s majority actively undermined these attempts.’
‘Ternopil is no longer merely a city in western Ukraine. It has become an unexpected and dramatic frontline in this brutal conflict. This tragedy is a stark reminder that civilian infrastructure is vulnerable and that civilians bear the brunt of war…War is never far from everyday life.’
Hungary’s FM Péter Szijjártó slammed EU ministers in Brussels as ‘insane’ over Ukraine, criticizing their support for Kyiv despite a major corruption scandal. He called for accountability on aid, warned the war is ‘unwinnable’ for the Ukrainians, and urged Brussels leadership to back President Trump’s peace efforts.
The Hungarian Institute of International Affairs’ first EastSec Forum examined Europe’s shifting security landscape amid the Russo–Ukrainian war. Speakers, including HIIA President Gladden J Pappin and Zachary Paikin of the Quincy Institute, stressed Hungary’s growing mediating role, the collapse of post–Cold War security structures, and the need to rebuild guarantees for lasting peace.
‘Rather than embracing theoretical frameworks like the concept of the EU as a “liberal empire”, what is now needed is a far more pragmatic approach—one that focuses on enhancing economic competitiveness and developing strategies aimed at strengthening the role of the EU in the global economy.’
‘Orbán’s multi-vector commercial policy, which balances energy cooperation with Russia, selective investment from China, and strategic alignment with Washington, allows Hungary to act as a stabilizing bridge between great powers.’
‘Spain’s cultural diplomacy in Chengdú and Beijing may win headlines, but its deeper strength lies in its ties to the Ibero-American world.’