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Viktor Orban

Viktor Orban
The latest news and updates on Viktor Orban, a Hungarian lawyer who co-founded the anti-communist Federation of Young Democrats (Fidesz), initially liberal, later shifting it to the centre-right. He served as Prime Minister from 1998 to 2002, overseeing Hungary’s NATO accession and economic improvements. Continuously holding the premiership since 2010, Orban leads Fidesz, implementing conservative, nationalist policies. His tenure is characterised by "illiberal Christian democracy," strong anti-immigration stances, and pronatalist initiatives. While credited with economic growth, his administration faces significant criticism for undermining democratic institutions, judicial independence, and media freedom.
Hungary’s Prime minister-elect Peter Magyar in Budapest on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Hungary

Incoming Hungarian leader vows to suspend state news broadcasts

Peter Magyar wants to restore media independence after his landslide election win, ending Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule.

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United States

Vance had 2 jobs last week. Neither happened for the US vice-president

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China trade

Hungary’s PM-elect Magyar sends warm overture to China, vows fair play for firms

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China-EU relations

Why Beijing isn’t panicking over Hungarian PM Orban’s stunning election defeat

China’s substantial investments in the central European country point to bilateral cooperation that is mutually beneficial, analysts say.

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Peter Magyar, leader of Hungary’s Tisza Party, waves the national flag at a victory rally in Budapest on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua
Hungary

Viktor Orban concedes defeat as Hungarian voters end his 16-year rule

Record turnout hands opposition Tisza Party a decisive victory in Hungary.

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China manufacturing

Chinese firms in Hungary face a post-election reckoning – no matter who wins

With opposition Tisza party leading in the polls, businesses ponder implications if Orban’s Fidesz party loses 16-year grip on power.

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Hungary

Vance visits Hungary to boost Orban re-election bid

Orban, a Eurosceptic nationalist in power since 2010, is facing the toughest re-election bid of his career, with polls indicating his party will lose.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (right) welcomes US Vice-President J.D. Vance in front of his office in Budapest, Hungary on Tuesday. Photo: EPA
China-EU relations

Orban on the brink: could Hungary’s election dent China’s influence in Europe?

‘Most consequential’ vote is being pitched as a referendum on whether the country should move towards the East or West.

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Hungary

Orban appears to blame Ukraine after explosives found on gas pipeline to Hungary

Discovery on Serbian border comes as the Hungarian leader faces a tight election and ‘false flag’ accusations from opposition.

European Union

EU delays proposal to permanently ban Russian oil imports

The proposal is not cancelled, but would no longer be published by April 15 due to ‘current geopolitical developments’.

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The Druzhba oil pipeline between Hungary and Russia at the Hungarian MOL Group’s Danube Refinery in Szazhalombatta, Hungary. Photo: Reuters
Ukraine war

EU leaders clash with Hungary’s Orban for blocking Ukraine loan

A vital US$103 billion lifeline is being held up by Budapest over a dispute involving a war-damaged oil pipeline.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
European Union

EU inspects Druzhba pipeline in bid to unclog Hungary’s block on Ukraine aid

Hungarian leader Viktor Orban has vetoed giving Ukraine its promised US$103 billion EU loan until Russian oil supply is resumed.

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Ukraine war

Zelensky urges EU to bypass Hungarian veto on vital US$103 billion loan

Putin ally Viktor Orban has been blocking the loan, in part because of a closed pipeline supplying his country with Russian oil in Ukraine.

Israel-Gaza war

Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ debuts with Gaza pledge as war threat looms elsewhere

The US president gathers global allies to fund Gaza’s reconstruction while issuing a final 10-day warning to Iran.

US President Donald during the signing ceremony in Washington. Photo: AFP
Diplomacy

Trump official says US to fund ‘free speech’ initiatives in Europe

State Department eyes funding efforts it sees as being aligned to the Trump administration’s views.

US and European Union flags at the EU headquarters in Brussels. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump

Leaders invited to Trump’s Board of Peace meeting in US. Who’s going?

Argentina’s Javier Milei and Hungary’s Viktor Orban confirm attendance after invitations go out.

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World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

Watch Trump showcase his ‘Board of Peace’ in Davos

Donald Trump has extended invitations to dozens of nations and hinted at the board’s future role as conflict mediator - with him as chairman.

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Donald Trump

Allies tepid on joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ as countries study invites

Some leaders sign on to the Trump-chaired body, but initial reaction from two key allies, France and Canada, was lukewarm.

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US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. Photo: AP
Donald Trump

A ‘Trump UN’ with US$1 billion entry? Nations cautious on Board of Peace plan

US president invites 60 nations to join his ‘Board of Peace’, with permanent membership available for states that pay US$1 billion.

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United States

Opinion | For Trump, the only communists to really dislike are those at home

The limited discussion of China in the new US national security document indicates that the US president’s focus is on domestic challenges to his authority.

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Ukraine war

EU indefinitely freezes Russian assets so they can be used to help Ukraine

Hungarian PM Orban, a Putin ally, accused the European Commission, which prepared the decision, ‘of systematically raping European law’.

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Ukrainians hold placards during a protest demanding the use of the frozen Russian assets in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday. Photo: EPA
Ukraine war

Hungary’s Orban to send team to Russia, expecting end of Ukraine war

The PM is anticipating a post-war landscape in which sanctions are lifted and Russia becomes reintegrated with the Western economy.

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Hungarian Prime Minister addresses supporters in Kecskemet on Saturday. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump

Trump grants Hungary’s Orban, a Putin ally, exemption from oil sanctions

The US president hit Russia’s two biggest oil companies with sanctions last month over Moscow’s refusal to end its war in Ukraine.

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Africa

Kenyan plane crash kills pilot, 10 tourists from Hungary, Germany

The plane was heading to the Maasai Mara National Reserve, known for the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti.

Ukraine war

Europe, Ukraine prepare plan to end war, proposing peace board headed by Trump

The US president had originally planned to meet Russia’s Putin for talks in Hungary, but plans for the Budapest summit are now on hold.

A Ukrainian artilleryman fires a howitzer towards Russian troops near the town of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Ukraine war

Will Zelensky join Trump and Putin in Budapest for peace talks? Only if invited

The Ukraine president criticised pro-Kremlin EU member Hungary as a venue for Putin-Trump talks, insisting on neutral locations for discussions.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is seen at the Cabinet Room of the White House on October 17. Photo: AFP
Ukraine

Czech Republic’s ‘Trumpist’ ex-PM wins election, putting Ukraine aid in doubt

Billionaire Andrej Babis’ victory could draw the country closer to EU mavericks Hungary and Slovakia, which oppose sanctions on Russia.

Donald Trump

Trump tells Nato nations to shoot down intruding Russian planes

The US president declined to say whether Washington would support the military alliance if it engaged Russian jets over its airspace.

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