After speaking with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump announced that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine would begin ‘immediately’. Meanwhile, Pentagon chief Peter Hegseth informed NATO defence ministers that the US is gradually withdrawing from Europe. These two announcements left EU leaders in shock and despair—but in reality, they present a historic opportunity for the continent.
After Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the imposition of US sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Hungarian government is considering reevaluating its relations with both institutions. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long advocated for the dismantling of the outdated structures of the liberal world order, a process that is now accelerating under Trump’s second presidency.
‘Hungary remains a major source of electricity and fuel for Ukraine and has carried out its largest humanitarian operation to date, hosting around one million Ukrainian refugees. Furthermore, the Prime Minister himself has stated that it is in Hungary’s utmost interest to always have a viable Ukraine between Hungary and Russia…’
The same author for Vox published the same article comparing President Trump’s ‘authoritarian’ ways of governing to that of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán back in 2018, and another piece about the parallels between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and PM Orbán in 2022. Just last July we reviewed an oddly similar piece by The Atlantic as well.
‘While trade with Russia is usually condemned in principle, even Ukraine, the victim of Russian aggression, allowed the transit of Russian gas and oil to Europe for economic reasons until a few weeks ago. Politics can never escape economic and geographical realities, and why should Hungary be an exception?’
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused the opposition, in collaboration with NGOs, of attempting to oust him through a so-called colour revolution—mass demonstrations aimed at toppling the government. A closer look at the organizers of the protests reveals a familiar network with links to George Soros and, unsurprisingly, USAID. A clear regional pattern is emerging, yet Hungary remains unaffected.
After two consecutive quarters of contraction, Hungary’s gross domestic product grew by 0.5 per cent in the last quarter of 2024. Compared to the data from a year ago, the growth was 0.4 per cent, better than originally expected by analysts.
‘Given the loss of security and economic credibility of the Western powers in 2008–2009 from a Central European perspective, and the serious economic and energy security challenges Hungary was facing at the time, it was an understandable and legitimate step to begin building pragmatic relations with Moscow 15 years ago and to set the stage for an eastward opening…’
Viktor Orbán has invited Alice Weidel, co-chair of the German right-wing party Alternative für Deutschland, to Hungary—an invitation she accepted almost immediately. Despite their shared views on key issues, the Hungarian government has previously been cautious in its relations with AfD, fearing economic retaliation from the German mainstream.
By voicing his support for AfD on his platform and challenging the taboo of German national guilt, Elon Musk has emerged as a key figure in the right-wing party’s gradual dismantling the ‘firewall’ that mainstream parties have upheld against it for years.