‘Alice Weidel is a very reasonable person, and hopefully, people can tell just from this conversation—nothing outrageous has been proposed, just common sense,’ said US billionaire Elon Musk during a conversation lasting over an hour with the AfD’s co-chair. Musk, who has faced accusations of election interference from Western progressives, also encouraged Germans to support the right-wing party.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy defended Elon Musk at a press conference in Rome yesterday, asking the reporters: ‘Is the problem that he is rich and influential, or that he’s not left-wing?’ She also said she believes Musk is no threat to democracy, George Soros is.
Former US Ambassador to Hungary David Cornstein has joined the critics of the Biden administration’s decision to impose sanctions on senior Hungarian government official Antal Rogán. Cornstein characterized the decision as ‘terrible and shameful’.
‘A Hungarian grand strategy for the 21st century must be based on principles that go beyond the question of Eastern or Western orientation.’
Poland took over the presidency of the EU from Hungary on 1 January. The ceremony launching the presidency, however, was conducted without the Hungarian ambassador to Poland, as the Polish Foreign Ministry declared he would not be welcome at the event. Political Director for the Prime Minister of Hungary Balázs Orbán commented on the incident and its context in an interview with wPolityce.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that it will cease working with third-party fact-checking services on its social media sites Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Instead, it will rely on user-submitted ‘community notes,’ popularized on major Trump supporter Elon Musk’s X.
‘Elon Musk is dismantling one of the most powerful weapons progressives have wielded: the deliberate silencing of opposing voices. Musk is countering this strategy by simply allowing right-wing forces to voice their opinions. In other words, he is upholding their most fundamental democratic right: the right to freedom of expression.’
Bryan E. Leib, a potential successor to outgoing US Ambassador David Pressman, has voiced sharp criticism on social media of the US administration’s recent sanctioning a key Hungarian politician. Leib expressed optimism for improved ties under Trump’s leadership in his commentary.
Antal Rogán, the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Hungary, has been placed on the US Treasury Department’s sanctions list, in the last two weeks of the incumbent Biden administration. US–Hungary relations have severely soured under President Biden.
As Brazil takes the helm of BRICS in 2025, Indonesia has officially joined the group as a full member, marking a significant milestone in strengthening collaboration among emerging economies and advancing the priorities of the Global South.