Viktor Orbán News

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.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Across Europe, voters are fed up and taking it out on their leaders.This week, Britain’s ruling Labour Party had its worst result ever in local elections as voters angry about a persistently weak economy and high immigration punished Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is backed by just 20% of voters.Last month, Europe’s longest-serving leader, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, was swept out of office by a wave of discontent over the sluggish economy and a government that many saw as corrupt.Elsewhere in Europe, the picture is similarly bleak for those now in power. In Germany, a left-right government that is breaking public spending records is also plumbing uncharted popularity lows.The diminished incumbents can do little to placate an angry electorate, as they contend with melting parliamentary majorities, internal divisions and empty public coffers.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The fight against Russia in Ukraine is now firmly Europe’s war.The European Union this week signed off on the equivalent of $105 billion in loans to keep Kyiv afloat through the end of next year—but officials warned that it may not be enough.With Russia determined to continue its four-year invasion until it dominates its neighbor, and President Trump pulling back from Europe and focused on the Middle East, Ukraine finds itself reliant on the traditionally gun-shy EU in its war for survival.The confirmation of the loan ahead of a summit in Cyprus on Thursday, long blocked by recently ousted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, marked a fresh sign of resolve and unity in the bloc.“For the first time in years there are no Russians in the room,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on social media, an apparent reference to Orbán, who had warm ties with Moscow but stayed away from the EU summit after recently losing an election. “Huge relief,” Tusk added.The funding decision, which Orban cleared this week following his election defeat, comes at a critical moment for Ukraine, which needs the cash to sustain its economy and its military amid relentless Russian assaults as Moscow seeks to grab more land in its neighbor’s east.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.ROME—As President Trump’s rift with Europe widens, he is casting even his political friends into the chasm.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has spent the past year trying to act as a bridge while Trump tussled with other European leaders over tariffs, Ukraine and Greenland.Trump, who previously called Meloni a “great leader,” now says he is shocked by her refusal to send forces to help open the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.-Iran war. “I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” he told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on Tuesday.The abrupt breakdown of their political friendship shows how the middle ground is disappearing between a White House that is demanding loyalty from its allies and a Europe where voters and governments increasingly view the U.S.

Alternative for Germany appears to be headed for the strongest showing by a far-right party since World War II in Sunday's national election and is fielding its first candidate to lead the country. Other parties say they won't work with the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, or AfD, and co-leader Alice Weidel has no realistic chance of taking the country's top job. But AfD has become a factor other politicians can't ignore and has helped shape Germany's debate on migration.

The European Union has agreed to prolong for 6 months a raft of sanctions aimed at depriving Russia of funds to finance its war against Ukraine

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. America’s democratic institutions withstood, if only barely, Donald Trump’s first presidency, but will they do so again? During the 2024 election campaign, Trump promised mass deportations and detainment camps, reprisals against his political foes, a crackdown on “the enemy within," and a dramatic reduction of civil-service protections for federal workers.

Xi Jinping has reportedly declined Donald Trump's invitation to attend the upcoming presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C. No explanation has been provided by Chinese officials regarding Xi Jinping's decision not to attend the inauguration. This decision comes as a significant blow to Trump's plans for a spectacular swearing-in event on January 20th, which he had hoped would turn into a global spectacle. According to State Department records, this would have marked the first time a foreign head of state has ever attended a U.S. presidential inauguration.

Around 50 European leaders will be reassessing their trans-Atlantic relations in the hope that Donald Trump's second U.S. presidency will avoid the strife and political pitfalls of his first administration

An activist and municipal councilor for a Hungarian opposition party disrupted a news conference in the French city of Strasbourg, as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was laying out plans for Hungary’s presidency of the European Union

Hungary's prime minister says the European Union risks entering an “economic cold war” with China, and is pledging to vote against an EU plan to impose higher tariffs on the import of Chinese electric vehicles

Hungary gave one of the most trenchant expressions of values-based foreign policy — and takedowns of a supposed US ally, who shares none of them — that I have heard from a diplomat. It was refreshing, even inspiring, precisely because it was so undiplomatically blunt. But in the context of November’s US election, this thunderbolt from a superpower felt out of step with the time and frankly harmless. In fact, Ambassador David Pressman’s address distilled for me a sense that’s been growing ever since Donald Trump’s victory in 2016, and has crystallized since a second spell in power became as likely as not: No matter what Pressman or a President Kamala Harris might say or stand for, it’s no longer clear what American values are even supposed to be. They can turn on a Hungarian forint. Prime Minister Viktor Orban is counting on that. He has bet big on a Trump victory, becoming one of the very few world leaders to openly campaign for it. And if it doesn’t work out this time, he’s said he’ll just wait for the next turn of the US electoral cycle. And why not? Orban’s been working against the wishes and interests of both the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization for well over a decade despite Hungary’s membership. He’s suffered only some fines and finger-wagging as a result. In Europe, he’s playing an even longer game to change the EU’s interests and values to match his own. He could succeed; it’s possible.

In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has extended his party's control over the media, directly affecting informed democratic participation

Donald Trump said Friday he had spoken by telephone with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky, and pledged to end the European country's war with Russia. «I appreciate President Zelensky for reaching out because I, as your next President of the United States, will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families,» Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. «Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity.»

A large chunk of the world's wealth today is locked in illiquid assets, therefore they are typically traded at a discount. 

Right-wing nationalist parties look set to surge in elections across Europe this week, but the shock wave will travel slowly due to rifts among the political forces. Many of the parties see former President Donald Trump as a model. They pledge to peel back Brussels’ power and shift European Union policy on hot-button issues including migration and climate policies.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is pushing back against some NATO proposals that would allow Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike targets within Russia

Robert Fico was shot multiple times after a political event Wednesday afternoon, an episode of violence that punctuated his decades-long career in politics. His deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba later told the BBC he believed Fico would survive the attack, saying «he's not in a life threatening situation at this moment.»

Most countries in the European Union are making efforts to “de-risk” their economies from perceived threats posed by China

The European Union marks its annual Europe Day on Thursday