Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is the EU leader with the closest ties to Putin and, to a lesser extent, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is also seen as pro-Russia. Nausėda’s view from behind closed doors is mirrored by public statements from EU leaders. The most dramatic shift has been by French President Emmanuel Macron, … Read more
“Now that Robert Fico is back in power, he is out for revenge. He’s hunting for journalists,” said Košice-based activist Ján Gálik, who is one of the founders of the For A Decent Slovakia initiative, a civil society group which organized the protests after Kuciák’s murder. “They are again creating an atmosphere where more journalists … Read more
“If we want to preserve Hungary’s freedom and sovereignty, we have no choice but to occupy Brussels,” he said. Relations between Budapest and Brussels have soured dramatically in recent years. The EU has expressed concerns about democratic backsliding in Hungary and Orbán’s ties to Russia despite President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Orbán has … Read more
A file photo of former U.S. President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban | Photo Credit: AP Former U.S. leader Donald Trump will not give money to help Ukraine fight Russia if he wins the presidency again and that will hasten an end to the war, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said after … Read more
The Trump campaign said late Friday that the two long-time allies discussed “a wide range of issues affecting Hungary and the United States, including the paramount importance of strong and secure borders to protect the sovereignty of each nation.” Biden said of Trump: “You know who he’s meeting with today down in Mar-a-Lago? Orbán of … Read more
On March 2, days before Fiala canceled the informal retreats, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Turkey. Fico reported the pair discussed “the possibilities that may arise at a planned peace summit in Switzerland,” and said the meeting with Lavrov expressed “our balanced and sovereign Slovak foreign policy … Read more
PARIS — France is set to become the first country to enshrine the freedom to have an abortion in its constitution — an effort by President Emmanuel Macron to send a strong message of support for reproductive rights and, at the same time, score political points at the expense of a resurgent far right. The … Read more
Orbán also said he and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson have taken steps to “rebuild trust” between the two countries, without specifying what those steps were. In a historic shift in policy prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden applied to join NATO in May 2022. Hungary is the only NATO country that has not yet … Read more
EU leaders finally approved €50 billion in funding for Kyiv until 2027 in early February after Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán had blocked the package in a previous December meeting. U.S. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has had trouble passing a military aid package to Ukraine through Congress, where it is opposed by a significant share of … Read more
“Serbia has other options. A free trade agreement with China has just been concluded,” Orbán said, referring to a deal signed last October with Serbia’s second-largest trade partner after the EU. Orbán also dismissed Kyiv’s prospects of fending off Russia’s invasion and joining the EU, claiming the only way for Ukraine to survive is for … Read more
