In a recent episode of the Brussels Playbook Podcast, POLITICO’s Chief EU Correspondent Zoya Sheftalovich has explained that the EU leadership is hiding information about Ukraine’s planned accession to help Péter Magyar defeat Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the upcoming Hungarian elections. If PM Orbán does prevail, the EU is even willing to strip Hungary of its voting rights, she also revealed.
‘The rules-based international order fragmenting, uncertainty growing, and conflicts multiplying around the world, this year’s conference is taking place at a fundamental turning point.’
Behind closed doors in Zagreb, the European People’s Party outlined a vision for Europe that would dilute national sovereignty and turn the EU into an increasingly militarized organization anchored to long-term commitments for Ukraine. With Viktor Orbán standing as the main obstacle to this agenda, it is hardly surprising that Brussels is now heavily invested in unseating him ahead of Hungary’s April election.
The European Union has ‘openly chosen war’, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after the latest EU Foreign Affairs Council, warning that Brussels is pushing massive new financial commitments to Ukraine. According to the minister, plans involving up to €1,500 billion would burden European taxpayers and divert funds from Europe’s own development.
Creative Hungary has launched the Central European Creative Awards, a new regional prize building on Hungary’s long-running design award tradition, aiming to boost the visibility and competitiveness of creative industries across Central Europe.
Hungary was the only EU Member State not to support the joint statement by the European Commission and Council on the potential purchase of Greenland, a territory of Denmark, by the United States. According to Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó of Hungary, this is a bilateral issue between Denmark and the US, and the EU should not get involved as a whole.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó warned that Budapest would not tolerate foreign interference in its upcoming parliamentary elections, insisting that EU ambassadors refrain from commenting on the vote or its outcome. He added that diplomats who ignore this demand could lose access to Hungary’s senior officials.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has received an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join the Gaza Peace Council, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said, while reaffirming Hungary’s rejection of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
‘Commissioner Kubilius’ proposal for “rotating” membership in the envisaged Council amounts to an outright disregard for the Treaties—under such a plan, some countries would commit their armed forces to a “United Army of Europe” while having no say in its command. This idea violates not only the spirit of the EU Treaties but also fundamental democratic principles…’
‘Broadly speaking, Hungary rejects the two main driving forces behind the anti-Israel sentiment in Europe: Wokeism and mass migration. But unlike other countries in Europe that share the same views on these topics, Hungary’s strong pro-Israel stance organically flows from this rejection, and also constitutes an integral part of its conservative vision for the future realignment of the European right.’