Hungary and Slovakia have urged the European Commission to act after repeated Ukrainian strikes hit the Druzhba oil pipeline in Russia, a key supply route for both countries. The latest attack has halted deliveries for at least five days.
After the European Council meeting on the Alaska summit, Viktor Orbán argued that Brussels’ Ukraine strategy had collapsed—its isolation policy, battlefield expectations, and membership promises as security guarantee all failed. With Trump’s team eyeing Budapest as the venue for a potential Putin–Zelenskyy summit, Hungary’s influence in Europe could be significantly bolstered.
Tensions flared between Budapest and Kyiv after Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused Ukraine of striking the Druzhba oil pipeline, vital for Hungary’s energy supply. His Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha shot back, blaming Hungary’s reliance on Russia and telling Budapest to address its ‘friends in Moscow’.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó spoke with both Washington and Moscow after the Trump–Putin summit in Alaska, stressing Hungary’s consistent call for peace. As the only EU state briefed by both sides, Budapest now holds a unique insight into Russia’s real intentions regarding a potential ceasefire agreement.
‘The recurring motif of [Farkas Molnár’s] paintings, reminiscent of his childhood games with his siblings and the Bauhaus kite festivals, is a—what a beautiful term—“flying toy”, a flying model, a symbol of longing, separation, and at the same time a Promethean innovation that revolutionizes everyday life.’
‘Europe has sent a clear signal: it will not defend its regulatory model when seriously challenged. The message has not been lost in Washington—or in Beijing. Already, the narrative of a weakened Europe is gaining traction among analysts and investors. The idea that the EU could act as a third pole in a global competition between powers has taken a direct hit.’
The European Union’s top court has issued a ruling that could halt deportations of illegal migrants to most non-European countries, prompting outrage in Budapest. Chief Security Advisor György Bakondi called the judgment ‘pro-migration’, warning it places virtually all repatriations in legal limbo. Prime Minister Orbán’s government says it will resist such judicial activism.
Hungary’s AI commissioner László Palkovics says artificial intelligence is unlikely to become self-aware under its current structure and stresses that Hungary has all the key components needed to develop sector-specific AI systems powered by local data.
‘Critics of the deal highlighted that—although some ridiculed the UK in May for agreeing to 10 per cent tariffs with Washington—the post-Brexit United Kingdom managed to strike a more favourable deal with the US administration than the economically more powerful 27-member European Union.’
Hungary’s government finalized the terms of its 3 per cent home loan programme, expanding eligibility and introducing new support for public servants, while also criticizing an EU–US trade deal and reaffirming its stance on national sovereignty.