Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has urged the European Union to suspend sanctions on Russian energy amid soaring prices triggered by the war in the Middle East. Orbán warned that Europe’s current vulnerability is the direct result of ideology-driven policies that replaced cheap Russian pipeline gas with dependence on volatile global LNG markets.
Belgian authorities are investigating an explosion at a synagogue in Liége as a possible terrorist attack after a blast damaged the building early on Monday morning. The incident follows a similar explosion outside the US embassy in Oslo a day earlier, raising concerns that the Iran war could trigger a new wave of terrorism across Europe.
Former Momentum leader András Fekete-Győr has asked NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to intervene over alleged Russian interference in Hungary’s upcoming election. The claim is based on a media report lacking any credible evidence and ignores growing concerns about foreign pressure on Hungary from other actors, most notably Ukraine.
Fidesz–KDNP candidate Attila Kaló won Sunday’s by-election in Kazincbarcika, delivering another victory for Viktor Orbán’s governing alliance ahead of Hungary’s April parliamentary election. The result marks the eighth by-election win for Fidesz since the rise of the Tisza party in 2024, further highlighting the growing gap between opposition-aligned polling narratives and actual election outcomes.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán sharply criticized Ukraine’s recent actions toward Hungary during a speech at an anti-war rally in Debrecen on Saturday, warning that Budapest will never accept negotiations conducted under pressure. Orbán accused Kyiv of opening a political conflict with Hungary, spoke about energy security and foreign influence, and reiterated that Hungary’s strategic goal is to stay out of the war.
Hungary’s election campaign escalated to an unprecedented level over the weekend after an activist of Viktor Orbán’s governing Fidesz–KDNP alliance was shot at while collecting signatures in the town of Szentendre, near Budapest. Government officials blamed the atmosphere of political hatred surrounding the campaign and linked the incident to the increasingly aggressive rhetoric of the opposition Tisza party.
New details have emerged in the case of the intercepted Ukrainian cash convoy in Hungary, with reports indicating that the leader of the seven-member group was former Ukrainian Security Service major general Hennadiy Kuznetsov, a figure linked to several corruption cases.
Protesters gathered outside Ukraine’s embassy in Budapest after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directed an open threat at Viktor Orbán over his blocking of the €90 billion EU loan to the war-torn country. Demonstrators, joined by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, accused Kyiv of political pressure and interference in Hungary’s election.
Iranian Ambassador to Hungary Morteza Moradian said Hungary’s concerns about rising terrorist threats linked to the Middle East are not exaggerated, noting that regional crises can affect Europe’s security, migration, and energy stability. He denied that Iran plans attacks abroad and condemned the US–Israeli strike that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
World leaders and politicians have rallied behind Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy openly threatened him over Hungary’s decision to block the €90 billion EU loan to Kyiv.
Hungarian authorities detained seven Ukrainian citizens transporting tens of millions of dollars, euros, and gold through the country in what officials called the ‘Ukrainian gold convoy operation’. Kyiv reacted sharply, warning its citizens against travelling to Hungary and accusing Hungarian authorities of illegally detaining the individuals.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte condemned Iran’s ballistic missile strike on Türkiye, intercepted by Turkish and NATO defence systems, as ‘serious and absolutely condemnable’, as the escalating Middle East conflict moves closer to NATO territory. The incident comes amid a wave of Iranian retaliatory attacks across the region and growing international military deployments to protect vulnerable allies.
In a recent interview, Viktor Orbán has framed the coming years as a test of Hungary’s ability to remain outside global conflicts, arguing that the country must resist pressure to provide military or financial support as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East intensify.
Two Hungarian prisoners of war from Transcarpathia have been released following diplomatic talks between Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The discussions also centred on Hungary’s energy security as global markets react to escalating tensions in the Middle East and Ukraine’s blockade of the Druzhba pipeline.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that an American submarine has sunk an Iranian warship near Sri Lanka, marking the first time since World War II that an enemy vessel has been destroyed by torpedo.
Keir Starmer is facing growing criticism after praising Muslims as ‘the face of modern Britain’ and stressing that the UK was not involved in the US–Israeli strikes on Iran. His remarks at a Ramadan iftar ceremony quickly triggered accusations that the prime minister was ‘bending over’ to court Muslim voters.
A new poll by US-based McLaughlin & Associates suggests Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz–KDNP alliance would win Hungary’s parliamentary election if it were held this Sunday, contradicting several opposition-leaning surveys and highlighting energy security as a decisive issue in the final weeks of the campaign.
Hungarian opposition supporters have seized on prediction market platform Polymarket as proof that Viktor Orbán is heading for defeat, celebrating Péter Magyar’s lead as a sign of inevitable victory. Yet recent European elections suggest such markets are far from reliable indicators of political outcomes.
Ukraine reportedly denied EU leaders access to the Druzhba pipeline during their Kyiv visit, according to diplomats cited by the Financial Times, deepening an already fraught dispute over halted oil transit that has become central to Hungary’s election campaign.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has openly weighed in on Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary election, expressing confidence that Viktor Orbán will be defeated and that relations can then be ‘normalized’.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy bluntly claimed that Ukraine has no intention whatsoever of restarting oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline, placing Hungarian and Slovak energy security in serious jeopardy. Viktor Orbán responded by calling on the European Commission to enforce treaty obligations on Kyiv.
According to a recently published HIIA analysis, EU sanctions on Russian energy have already contributed to 5.4 million job losses, with long-term risks exceeding 30 million positions. The report highlights surging energy prices, weakened industrial competitiveness, and mounting economic strain across Europe.
As global energy markets spiral in the wake of the crisis in Iran, Hungary faces a compounded challenge just weeks before its parliamentary election, with Ukraine’s blockade of the Druzhba pipeline threatening supply stability. The timing is politically charged, placing energy security at the centre of the campaign.
A bizarre opinion piece published by The Telegraph claims that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is preparing for a coup in the event of an electoral defeat, relying on speculative arguments and political assumptions rather than verifiable facts. The article, authored by former opposition MP Zoltán Kész, reflects a broader pattern of narratives seeking to delegitimize Hungary’s democratic process while simultaneously preparing the ground for a possible electoral defeat in April.
Social media platform X recorded its highest-ever usage over the weekend following the US–Israeli strikes on Iran, Elon Musk announced. The surge was driven by a flood of real-time footage and analysis, as the platform once again became a central hub for tracking rapidly unfolding military developments.
Israel has confirmed that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the joint US–Israeli military strikes carried out on 28 February, according to senior officials cited by Reuters. Iran has yet to confirm or deny the claim.
The United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran early Saturday following days of military buildup and escalating tensions, marking a major escalation in the Middle East. Explosions were reported across Tehran, as President Donald Trump confirmed the start of ‘major combat operations’ aimed at neutralizing ‘imminent threats’ to the American people.
A new Századvég survey indicates that a clear majority of Hungarians oppose both Ukraine’s suspension of oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline and the European Union’s plans to phase out Russian energy. The findings underscore mounting public concern over energy security, rising prices, and foreign interference ahead of the April parliamentary elections.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced that Hungary and Slovakia will establish a joint investigative committee to examine the halted Druzhba pipeline, urging Ukraine to grant access and restart oil transits immediately.
Hungary’s election campaign is entering a decisive phase as fresh polling by Nézőpont Institute gives Fidesz–KDNP a five-point advantage over the opposition Tisza party. With energy security and foreign pressure dominating political discourse, the latest figures point to a closely contested race, with Viktor Orbán still steadily leading.