Is the EU capable of defending itself against the Russian threat? Why is the US turning away from Europe? Is there fear in an atheist’s heart of meeting Jesus after death? How well-founded are our strongly held beliefs? We asked the American philosopher in Budapest.
‘The defence of democracy, human rights, and sovereignty cannot be contingent on political expediency or the geopolitical convenience of targeting smaller or less powerful states. A genuinely united Europe must demonstrate a consistent and impartial commitment to its principles, respecting the agency of all member states.’
‘Western media is…in a frenzy about an impending electoral upset in Hungary. Péter Magyar is being touted by some as “the biggest threat Hungary’s Viktor Orbán has faced in 15 years”. Much of this assessment is based on polling for the upcoming 2026 election…Yet when we look at the polling closely, we see that there are major discrepancies which lead one to seriously question its accuracy.’
‘If Brussels clings to this policy [on Ukraine], Europe will further weaken itself and become increasingly irrelevant on the global stage,’ State Secretary of the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister Balázs Hidvéghi warned in an interview with Hungarian Conservative.
Tamás Menczer has warned in a Facebook post that due to military aid to Ukraine ‘the war has already cost every Hungarian family 2.5 million HUF, and Ukraine’s EU membership would cost millions more for each and every family’. The Hungarian government remains in stark opposition to having Ukraine become an EU Member State.
According to the annual Wellbeing Barometer by Mária Kopp Institute for Demography and Families (KINCS), Hungarians rated their satisfaction level at 7.3 on a scale of one to ten in 2024. Married couples have reported themselves to be happier (7.7) than single people (6.6).
Alan J Kuperman, in a rare opinion piece published by The Hill, breaks with the Western narrative on the causes of the war in Ukraine, acknowledging that Donald Trump is right about most of the factors behind the conflict. This ultimately means Hungary was right as well, as the Hungarian government’s position on the war closely aligns with that of the US president.
Last weekend the world was shocked by news of a fire that took the lives of 59 people in a North Macedonian nightclub and injured an additional 156. The blaze broke out after 2am at Club Pulse, most probably due to the pyrotechnics used during a concert. Arguably the nightclub fire is the worst tragedy that has happened in North Macedonia in recent memory.
Former Hungarian President János Áder has criticized the European Parliament, calling it ineffective in its current form. Speaking at Károli Gáspár University in Budapest, Áder argued that the EU’s legislative body fails to fulfil its duties efficiently and is increasingly irrelevant.
Chaos erupted in the Hungarian Parliament on Tuesday after opposition MPs ignited smoke flares in protest against the ban on the Pride march. The events bore a striking resemblance to those that unfolded in Serbia just weeks earlier, raising suspicions of a coordinated effort to destabilize right-wing governments in the region.