Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s visit to Georgia has sparked criticism from European Union leaders, who do not recognize the results of the weekend’s elections in the South Caucasus state. During his visit Orbán underlined his support for Georgia’s European integration and the deepening of bilateral relations.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán criticized the EU’s war posture in a recent radio interview on public Kossuth Radio, reaffirming Hungary’s stance against participating in the Ukrainian war efforts. He also called for peace negotiations and discussed Hungary’s distinct approach to migration, economic policies, and EU relations.
The Patriots for Europe EP group held their first summit on Thursday in Brussels. The meeting was attended by all the leaders of the PfE parties and took place ahead of the European Council summit scheduled to discuss the war in Ukraine, migration, as well as key economic policies, all of which Hungary differs on with most member states.
Ever since Sybiha started working in the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Ukraine there have been rumours that it was only a matter of time before he would replace Kuleba. It is widely believed that Kuleba could retain his seat from April to September only due to his good personal connections with US decision-makers—but with the presidential election preoccupying the White House, the Ukrainian leadership finally saw an opening to dispose of him.
‘Disillusionment in the West with Ukraine’s performance and ability to win the war has been rising for over a year. While a lot was expected from last year’s Ukrainian counter offensive, it ended up recapturing less than half the land Russia took in 2023. This year’s balance is not much better. Albeit it is true that Ukraine made an extravagant capture of lands in Kursk, on its own sovereign lands it claimed few to no successes.’
The ‘Friends of Peace’ group was established at the United Nations last Friday on Hungary’s initiative. Led by China and Brazil, the 15-member group aims to facilitate the initiation of peace talks regarding the war in Ukraine and promote the implementation of the key points of the Sino–Brazilian peace plan.
In a recent podcast, Balázs Orbán drew a comparison between the 1956 Revolution and the war in Ukraine. His remarks, taken out of context and misinterpreted, were swiftly exploited to smear the government of Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán responded by stressing that the war in Ukraine must not be allowed to overshadow the memory of the heroes of 1956, and that Hungary’s position must always be articulated accurately and unambiguously.
‘Since the start of the war, 8 million Ukrainians have fled their country; another 3 million have emigrated to Russia. Aside the mass defections, because of Ukraine’s birth rate collapse to the lowest recorded level, Zelenskyy has been unwilling to mobilize men aged between 18 and 25—typically the bulk of any fighting force. The fear is that, since most of these men are childless, should such die or become incapacitated, future demographic prospects would dim further.’
The first panel discussion of the second day analysed warfare and its moral implications, and how policymakers, global powers and ordinary people react to the war in Ukraine and to the Israel–Hamas conflict.
According to Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak, Kyiv plans to shut down the Druzhba oil pipeline starting from 1 January 2025. This pipeline is a key route through which Russian oil reaches Europe, including Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Hungarian oil and gas company MOL stated that it has not been informed of this decision and that transport is currently running smoothly. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó has assured that Hungary’s energy supply remains secure.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.
