Hungary

Hungary's Viktor Orbn to meet Russia's Putin in Moscow for energy talks

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn is visiting Moscow for energy talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a rare step from a European leader while Russia's war grinds on in Ukraine. The trip to Moscow is the second since last year for Orbn, who is widely considered Putin's closest partner among all European Union leaders. In comments to state media before departing for Moscow early Friday, Orbn said the focus of his talks with Putin would be Hungary's continued access to "cheap Russian oil and gas, resources that have come under sanctions by the US government. Hungary remains among the only EU countries to continue importing large quantities of Russian fossil fuels, and has strongly opposed efforts by the bloc to wean its member nations off Russian energy supplies. Earlier this month, Orbn travelled to Washington for a meeting with US President Donald Trump where he succeeded in securing an exemption to sanctions the Trump administration placed on Russian energy companies Luko

'Trying to help an alcoholic': Hungary slams EU plan for Ukraine aid

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban sharply criticised EU chief Ursula von der Leyen for asking member states to send more financial aid to Ukraine, as Russia steps up attacks in the war's fourth year

US grants Hungary exemption on Russia sanctions after Trump-Orban meeting

Last month, Trump imposed Ukraine-related sanctions on Russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft that carried the threat of further sanctions

Trump hints at easing Russian oil sanctions on Hungary, cites war toll

Speaking at a joint meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Trump said the US is "looking at" Orban's request for an exemption from the Russian oil sanctions imposed last month

Orban hails Hungary as 'only' place where Trump-Putin talks can be held

Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday celebrated his country's status as the host of upcoming talks between US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin, a meeting where the two leaders are expected to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine. Trump on Thursday announced his second meeting this year with Putin, a day before he was to sit down with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. A date for the meeting has not been set, but Trump said it would take place in Hungary's capital, Budapest, and suggested it could happen in about two weeks. Speaking to state radio on Friday, Orban, a close Trump ally and considered Putin's closest partner in the European Union, suggested that his long-standing opposition to the West supplying Ukraine with military and financial aid to assist in its defence against Russia's invasion had played a role in making Budapest the site of the talks. Budapest is essentially the only place in Europe today where such a ...

Hungary clings to Russian oil, gas as EU, NATO push to cut supplies

As the European Union pushes to fully sever its reliance on Russian energy and the administration of US President Donald Trump urges NATO members to abandon Russian oil, one country's populist government stands firm. Hungary and its leader, Prime Minister Viktor Orbn, have long argued Russian energy imports are indispensable for the country's economy and switching to fossil fuels sourced from elsewhere would cause an immediate economic collapse. Orbn, who has long had the friendliest ties to the Kremlin of any EU leader, has vigorously opposed the bloc's efforts to sanction Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and blasted attempts to hit Russia's energy revenues that help finance the war. As the rest of Europe has weaned off Russian energy, Hungary has maintained, and even increased, its Russian imports, insisting no viable alternative exists. But some energy experts as well as Orbn's critics, who see his commitment to Russian energy as a symptom of his affinity

Hungary's Orban tells Trump cutting Russian energy would cripple economy

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn said Friday that Hungary will continue to source fossil fuels from Russia despite demands from his ally US President Donald Trump, and that he'd informed the president that dropping Russian energy would be a disaster for Hungary's economy. Hungary remains one of the only countries in Europe to continue purchasing Russian oil and natural gas following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But Trump, an admirer of the long-serving Hungarian leader, earlier this month called on all NATO countries including Hungary to cease purchasing Russian oil, since he believes the Russia-Ukraine war would end if they did so. In comments to state radio on Friday, Orbn said he recently told Trump that that dropping Russian energy imports would be an economic disaster for Hungary. I told the US president ... that if Hungary is cut off from Russian oil and natural gas, immediately, within a minute, Hungarian economic performance will drop by 4 p

Hungary, following Trump, will designate Antifa terrorist group: PM Orban

Hungary will replicate a policy announced on Thursday by US President Donald Trump and designate Antifa a terrorist organisation, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday. Antifa, short for anti-fascist, is an umbrella term for loosely affiliated far-left activists and groups that resist fascism, fascists and neo-Nazis, especially at demonstrations. It resembles more an ideology than an organisation, though some have embraced militant tactics. Orban, a right-wing populist and strong Trump ally, said in comments to state radio on Friday that he was pleased by Trump's announcement that he plans to designate Antifa as a major terrorist organisation in the United States. "Antifa is indeed a terrorist organisation," Orban said. In Hungary, too, the time has come for us to classify organisations such as Antifa as terrorist organisations, following the American model. It was unclear what prompted Orban's decision to make the move. Antifascist groups rarely engage in political actions in

'Drugstore beetle' endangers 1,000-year-old library, 100,000 books

Tens of thousands of centuries-old books are being pulled from the shelves of a medieval abbey in Hungary in an effort to save them from a beetle infestation that could wipe out centuries of history. The 1,000-year-old Pannonhalma Archabbey is a sprawling Benedictine monastery that is one of Hungary's oldest centres of learning and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Restoration workers are removing about 100,000 handbound books from their shelves and carefully placing them in crates, the start of a disinfection process that aims to kill the tiny beetles burrowed into them. The drugstore beetle, also known as the bread beetle, is often found among dried foodstuffs like grains, flour and spices. But they also are attracted to the gelatin and starch-based adhesives found in books. They have been found in a section of the library housing around a quarter of the abbey's 400,000 volumes. This is an advanced insect infestation which has been detected in several parts of the library, so the en

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen comfortably survives confidence vote

European Union lawmakers will hold a confidence vote Thursday on the head of the bloc's powerful executive arm, Ursula von der Leyen, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban leading calls for her to be ousted. The censure motion, the first at the European Parliament in over a decade, was brought against the European Commission president by a group of hard-right lawmakers. To pass, it requires a two-thirds majority vote in favour. Von der Leyen could be forced to resign if she loses, but she is virtually guaranteed to win as most of the political groups in the assembly have signalled they would vote against the motion. She is not expected to attend the vote in Strasbourg, France. The motion contains a mix of allegations against von der Leyen including text messaging privately with the boss of COVID-19 vaccine maker Pfizer, misuse of EU funds and interference in elections in Germany and Romania. Orban said on Facebook that the vote will be the moment of truth: on one side the ...

Axiom 4 mission: Shubhanshu Shukla completes a week in orbit aboard ISS

Shukla has been conducting experiments that explore how microgravity affects growth and genetic behaviour of algae and how tardigrades, hardy microscopic creatures, survive and reproduce in space

Orbn's anti-Ukraine campaign targets rival before Hungary elections

As Hungary heads toward national elections next spring and the populist government's popularity slumps, Prime Minister Viktor Orbn has zeroed in on a central theme he hopes will sway voters: an alleged threat posed by neighbouring Ukraine. While most European Union countries have offered political, financial, and military support to Kyiv since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Hungary under Orbn has charted a starkly different course refusing to supply Ukraine with weapons or allow their transit through Hungarian territory, demanding sanctions relief and rapprochement with Russia, and adopting a combative stance toward both Kyiv and its EU backers. With his ruling Fidesz party slipping in the polls and a new opposition force gaining momentum, Orbn has escalated a sweeping anti-Ukraine campaign presenting the upcoming election as a referendum on peace or war. Going further, he has accused his leading political opponent of entering into a treasonous pact with Kyiv to overthrow hi

Hungarian Oppn leader tells supporters he will restore Western alliances

The leader of Hungary's largest opposition party on Sunday told thousands of supporters that he would guide his country out of its international isolation if he defeats Prime Minister Viktor Orbn in elections scheduled for next year. Pter Magyar, the leader of the Respect and Freedom (Tisza) party, represents the most serious challenge to Orbn's power since the right-wing populist leader took power in 2010. Recent polling suggests that Tisza has overtaken Orbn's Fidesz party as Hungary struggles with a stagnating economy and has been politically sidelined in the European Union over Orbn's policies. Speaking at a rally in Budapest on Sunday, Magyar said that, if elected, he and his party would restore Hungary's relationships and reputation among its allies that have suffered as Orbn has attacked the European Union and pursued close relationships with autocracies like Russia and China. We will finally put our common affairs in order, Magyar said. "Our homeland, Hungary, will once agai

Hungary set to ban LGBTQ+ pride, raise fears of broader rights rollback

Hungarian lawmakers are preparing to vote on a constitutional amendment viewed by many critics as both a crackdown on the freedoms of assembly and expression and the most recent move by the populist government to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ communities. The amendment, which will almost certainly be passed on Monday by the two-thirds majority of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's nationalist Fidesz party, would permanently codify a ban on public events held by LGBTQ+ communities including the popular Pride event that draws thousands annually in the capital, Budapest. It will also provide a constitutional basis for denying the gender identities or sexual characteristics of minority groups, and allow for some Hungarians to have their citizenship suspended if they are deemed to pose a threat to Hungary's security or sovereignty. Here's what the amendment will do, what it entails for LGBTQ+ Hungarians, and for some of the basic rights of all citizens in the Central European nation. A ban

Hungary plans to withdraw from ICC as Netanyahu arrives despite warrant

Hungary said Thursday it will begin the procedure of withdrawing from the world's only permanent global tribunal for war crimes and genocide. Hungary will withdraw from the International Criminal Court, Gergely Gulys, who is Prime Minister Viktor Orbn chief of staff wrote in a brief statement. The government will initiate the withdrawal procedure on Thursday, in accordance with the constitutional and international legal framework. The announcement came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, despite an international arrest warrant against him over his conduct of the war in the Gaza Strip. Hungary's government, led by right-wing populist Orbn, extended the invitation to Netanyahu in November after the ICC, based in the Hague, Netherlands, issued the warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity. Orbn, a close Netanyahu ally, has called the arrest warrant outrageously impudent and cynical. Member countries of the ICC, such as Hungary

US SC deals severe blow to Holocaust survivors' lawsuit against Hungary

A unanimous Supreme Court on Friday dealt a severe blow to Holocaust survivors and their families in a long-running lawsuit seeking compensation from Hungary for property confiscated during World War II. The justices threw out an appeals court ruling that had allowed the lawsuit to continue despite a federal law that generally shields sovereign nations like Hungary from suits in US courts. The high court heard arguments in December in Hungary's latest bid to end the lawsuit filed in 2010 by survivors, all of whom are now over 90, and heirs of survivors. Some survived being sent to the Auschwitz death camp in what was German-occupied Poland. The appeals court had held that the survivors satisfied the exception the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act makes for property taken in violation of international law. To qualify, the survivors must be able to show that the property has some commercial tie to the United States. The survivors had argued that Hungary long ago sold off the property,

EU extends Russia sanctions by 6 months after Hungary lifts veto threat

The European Union agreed a 6-month extension Monday for a raft of sanctions aimed at depriving Russia of funds to finance its war against Ukraine after Hungary lifted its objections to the move. The sanctions target trade, finance, energy, technology, industry, transport and luxury goods. They include a ban on the import or transfer of seaborne crude oil and certain petroleum products from Russia to the EU. They will now remain in place at least until July 31. Some measures were introduced in 2014 after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, but the list grew significantly after Moscow's full-fledged invasion of its neighbour almost three years ago. On Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn called on the EU to intervene in a gas dispute that his country has with Ukraine. He said Kyiv's decision to halt the transit of Russian gas into Central Europe had forced Hungary to turn to alternative routes, which raised energy prices. To satisfy Orbn's demand, the European ...

Wait for Donald Trump before extending Russia sanctions: Orban to EU

The EU has imposed 15 rounds of sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, which need to be extended every six months

Italy PM Meloni, Hungary's Orban pledge cooperation on migration, Ukraine

Italy's Premier Giorgia Meloni met her Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban on Wednesday in Rome, where the two discussed the situation in the Middle East, their support for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and their commitment to the eastern country's reconstruction. Meloni also congratulated Orban on his six-month rotating presidency of the EU Council, the first chapter of accession talks with Albania and the progress made with Bulgaria and Romania in the expansion of the Schengen area, according to a statement from the Italian government. The two far-right leaders also discussed the Middle East conflict, support for a peaceful resolution in Ukraine, and their nations' commitment to Ukraine's reconstruction ahead of the next recovery conference, which will be held in Rome in July 2025. During the 1 1/2-hour meeting at the Italian government's headquarters the leaders also emphasised the importance of addressing irregular migration, calling for increased cooperation with countries

What is the International Criminal Court that issued Netanyahu's warrant?

International Criminal Court issued warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of crimes against humanity related to the 13-month war in Gaza