Hungarian Conservative

‘Like many, I still cannot believe that Wilders could become prime minister, given his years of demagogic outbursts and his abysmal reputation among the parts of the nation that ‘matter’. He shocked polite society with condescending statements about Dutch Muslims and unworkable, discriminatory policy proposals.’

The modern reader might scoff at the medieval chronicler’s words about divine assistance, even dismiss it as gibberish, as he rather tries to find rational reasons for military victory. This attitude, however, fit in perfectly with medieval thinking, and the protagonists were fully convinced that their success or failure was due to the gaining or lack of heavenly support.

According to multiple media sources, Israel may have conducted a retaliatory strike against Iran on Friday. However, Iranian officials claim they are uncertain whether it was an external attack or an infiltration from within the Persian state.

Former President Trump’s criminal trial has begun in Manhattan, which some polling data suggests could cost him his victory in the presidential election in November. However, President Biden is not in a great position either as the economy and the state of foreign affairs have recently worsened, and he was already struggling with a low approval rating on these issues. How will all this end?

‘This is the message of Easter. Sharing the most ordinary beautiful experiences with each other: that is transforming the world. It just takes courage. For believers and non-believers alike. We should respect each other. Because none of us can create life. Destroy it, all the more.’

In his regular Friday morning interview with public Kossuth radio, Viktor Orbán stated that in terms of European political struggles, traditional categories have been used so far, such as right-wing, left-wing, globalist, or sovereigntist forces, but now a new dimension has opened up: the decisive question will not be about party affiliation, but about who is for peace and who is for war.

The major polling firm Századvég found that 88 per cent of Hungarians oppose sending NATO troops to Ukraine like President Emmanuel Macron of France suggested. Also, 80 per cent of responders believe it is unlikely that Russia would attack Hungary if they were to be successful in Ukraine.

‘For material, political, and geopolitical reasons, democracies trend towards long-duration, remote, low-exposure, naval, air, and space warfare. An absent-minded reading might leave a reader with a sense of dissonance between democratic tendencies and democratic victories in two world wars. In fact, the world wars were distant and long-lasting for the few democracies that won in the end.’

In his 15 March address Viktor Orbán focused not only on national sovereignty, freedom, and unity but also placed significant emphasis on the upcoming European Parliament elections.

As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, the prospect of peace remains as distant as it did 24 months ago. However, with the upcoming political events in Europe and the United States, 2024 holds the potential for significant changes. With these crucial events ahead, there is hope that 2025 could finally become the year of peace in Ukraine.

All but one EU Member State, Hungary, have condemned Israel’s potential ground invasion of Rafah, scheduled to happen if all hostages are not freed by the start of the Ramadan. This is not the first time the Orbán administration has stood up for Israel.

Balázs Orbán observes that Brussels believes it is in the interest of European countries for the Russo-Ukrainian war to continue or possibly escalate. Hungary, on the other hand, is of a different opinion; this conflict has no military solution and a diplomatic resolution is needed.

Tensions are escalating between the political and military leadership in Ukraine, as press reports indicate that Volodymyr Zelenskyy attempted to dismiss Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny. The Ukrainian president’s room for manoeuvre seems to be diminishing, and he needs his European allies now more than ever to survive.

At a recent Rubicon Institute conference in Budapest, historians and Middle East experts attempted to shed light on the complexities of the Arab–Israeli conflict and its regional and international contexts.

With Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressing a desire to negotiate with two pro-peace leaders on the right, Donald Trump and Viktor Orbán, it appears that the Ukrainian president is anticipating a potentially unfavourable scenario for Ukraine: a right-wing shift in both Europe and overseas.

According to the study, 15 per cent of young Hungarians frequently experience feelings of isolation, which is of concern as chronic loneliness not only has psychological ramifications but, in certain cases, also entails physical consequences. The report highlights that 41 per cent of young people in the Western Transdanubia region and 38 per cent of their counterparts in the southern Transdanubia region claim to feel lonely always or often.

The inherent dilemma regarding the rules of engagement in a just war is that they tend to become either vague or restrictive when military operations fail to achieve victory or a ceasefire leading to peace.

In recent weeks, the Western alliance behind Ukraine seems to have split: one side is beginning to acknowledge the realities and is pushing for peace talks, while the other side wants to keep pouring money and arms into Ukraine.

Secretary Zsigmond expressed concerns over the slow progress in holding representatives accountable for misusing hundreds of thousands of euros. He also highlighted contradictory reports and voting patterns of these representatives against Hungary in the European Parliament,

‘In addition to his positive foreign policy track record, Donald Trump often promises in his public speeches on his current campaign trail to bring peace to Ukraine and Israel, and restore global security once elected president again. Therefore, it is clear that for Hungary, Trump is the number one choice as the ideal leader of the free world from the point of view of global peace.’

Arriving for the two-day EU summit, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary’s position is very clear. ‘When we talk about enlargement, the Hungarian stance states that it is a merit-based, sophisticated, legal procedure,’ he explained.

Talks with Ukraine on possible EU membership ‘right now are absurd, ridiculous, and unserious’, and the government will not support them. Right now no one knows what Ukraine’s accession would entail or how much territory or population would be integrated into the bloc, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in the debate of the ruling Fidesz party’s draft resolution on Ukraine’s accession talks.

Meloni emphasized her familiarity with the views of the Hungarian Prime Minister, which diverge from those she holds concerning Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. However, she noted that, in her opinion, the inflexibility and strictness of the European Commission have led to the Hungarian Prime Minister’s perspectives.

A four-day humanitarian ceasefire has been agreed upon by Israel and Hamas, as confirmed by both parties and the mediator Qatar as well. The Palestinians agreed to the release of 50 Israeli hostages, mostly women and children, while Israel agreed to set free 150 Palestinian prisoners. However, PM Netanyahu of Israel insists his country is still at war.

Ursula von der Leyen, presenting the report on the expected reforms for the EU accession of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, as well as the accession prospects for the Western Balkans and Turkey, announced that the European Commission recommends initiating accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, as soon as they meet final conditions.

As Kenneth M. Pollack phrased in his The Hill article, ‘a ceasefire now would only lead to more war and more killing in the future.’ Pollack added that ‘when you reward an aggressor and prevent the attacked from fighting back, you simply encourage that aggressor to attack again, and encourage other would-be aggressors to do the same.’

In the interview, President of the Republic Katalin Novák underscored Hungary’s key role in protecting the EU’s Schengen border, highlighted the Hungarian government’s unique family policy, stressed the importance of starting peace talks to end the war on Ukraine, and reiterated Hungary’s support for Israel.

In his speech at the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, Viktor Orbán stated that Europe is facing difficult dilemmas, and the answers provided will have a strong impact on the relationship between the Turkic world and the continent. The PM emphasized that from a European perspective, global security is currently in the worst condition since the end of the Cold War.

Wizz Air has cancelled all flights to Israel until 15 November but is continuously reviewing the situation. The airline is in constant contact with Israeli, Hungarian, and international authorities, monitoring the events in Israel.

According to the Ministry’s statement, Minister Szijjártó spoke up during a meeting following the EU Foreign Affairs Council on the proposals regarding security guarantees for Ukraine. These proposals could provide €20 billion of support for arms shipments and the deployment of a training mission in Ukraine over the next four years.