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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.
Poland’s former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro reacts after he was detained by police at the Polish TV Republika station’s headquarters in Warsaw, Poland in January last year. Photo: via Reuters
European Union

Poland’s ex-minister facing prosecution at home travels from Hungary to US

Former Justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro faces prosecution for alleged abuse of power.

Hungary

‘Wonderful’: new Hungarian PM Magyar sworn in ending Orban’s 16-year rule

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Hungary

Orban won’t take up Hungary parliament seat after loss, wants to lead renewal

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Ukraine war

EU approves US$106 billion loan to Ukraine after Hungary lifts veto

The loan will help Ukraine meet its economic and military needs for the next two years.

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A man in military uniform sits near a makeshift memorial dedicated to the fallen Ukrainian soldiers and international volunteers in Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 20, 2026. Photo: EPA
Hungary

Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ law breaches EU rules as court ruling hailed as ‘historic’

The European Court of Justice rules that the rights of transgender and non-heterosexual individuals in Hungary have been infringed upon.

European Union

Bulgaria’s pro-Kremlin ex-president wins election, Russia and EU welcome victory

Rumen Radev has criticised military support for Ukraine’s war effort and the European Union’s heavy reliance on renewable energy.

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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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Hungary’s Prime minister-elect Peter Magyar in Budapest on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
United States

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

J.D. Vance returns to Washington empty-handed after a diplomatic tour that saw the fall of a key European ally and a stalemate in Islamabad.

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China trade

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

Peter Magyar pledges reforms to restore transparency and fiscal stability as Hungary shifts from Viktor Orban’s investment model.

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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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Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban concedes defeat in parliamentary elections to his rival, conservative Peter Magyar, a former government insider and political newcomer who has promised “system change”. Photo: AFP
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.

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.

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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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz is trailing the rival Tisza Party in the polls ahead of the April 12 election. Photo: Reuters
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.

Serbian military police block a road after explosives were discovered near the international gas pipeline connecting Serbia and Hungary. Photo: Serbia’s Ministry of Defence via EPA
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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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.

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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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A meter shows near zero-level pressure at a line production station on a Druzhba pipeline in Brody, Ukraine. Photo: Reuters
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.

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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US President Donald Trump launched his ‘Board of Peace’ at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. Photo: AFP
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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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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US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. Photo: AP
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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US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Busan, South Korea, on October 30. Photo: Reuters
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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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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