The planned Trump–Putin summit in Budapest has exposed how modern diplomacy is waged through information warfare. Leaks, denials, and anonymous sources have flooded the media, as Brussels and Kyiv intensify efforts to block the meeting—fearing that a deal might emerge outside their control.
Two Russian-linked oil refineries—Lukoil’s Petrotel plant in Romania and MOL’s Százhalombatta facility in Hungary—were rocked by explosions on Monday, halting operations. Authorities have yet to identify an official cause, but the near-simultaneous incidents have fuelled speculation of Ukrainian sabotage amid Kyiv’s ongoing drone and pipeline attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán hosted Alice Weidel, co-chair of Germany’s AfD, in Budapest on Monday. Weidel praised Hungary for hosting the upcoming Trump–Putin peace summit, calling Budapest ‘the best place in the world’ and commending Orbán’s leadership in promoting dialogue and stability in Europe.
The Danube Institute hosted a high-level discussion on the EU’s future, where Balázs Hidvéghi, Stefano Arroque, Daniel Hinšt, and Péter Kruzslicz agreed that the bloc’s growing centralization has created a structural crisis. Speakers urged reform, respect for sovereignty, and a return to the principle of subsidiarity.
Austria’s Freedom Party (FPÖ) has surged to an unprecedented 38 per cent in a new Market Institut poll—the highest level in its history—cementing its lead ahead of the governing coalition parties. The result underscores a broader rightward shift across Europe, as patriotic forces from Germany to the UK continue to gain ground.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signalled his willingness to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Budapest, saying he is ‘ready’ to join the summit if it aims for a just and lasting peace. ‘We need both sides of this tragedy,’ he said.
US President Donald Trump has explained why Budapest was chosen as the venue for his upcoming peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, praising Hungary as strong, stable, and safe. Trump said that both he and Putin ‘like Viktor’, describing him as ‘a very good host’.
Hungary and China celebrated another milestone in their growing partnership on Friday with the launch of the Hungarian edition of The Governance of China, Volume II. Published by the Eurasia Center, the book presents Xi Jinping’s key ideas on governance, modernization, and China’s role in a changing world.
Budapest may soon join the ranks of historic diplomatic cities as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin plan to meet there for peace talks on Ukraine. Analyst Anton Bendarjevskiy says the summit could become Hungary’s most significant foreign policy milestone in decades.
Hungary’s capital will host the next Trump–Putin summit on Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán confirmed on Thursday. The talks aim to revive negotiations stalled since August and come just as Zelenskyy pushes Washington for long-range Tomahawk missiles to strike deep inside Russia.
Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has achieved a historic breakthrough, polling 40 per cent in Saxony-Anhalt and becoming Germany’s largest party nationwide with up to 26.5 per cent, according to Insa and Ipsos surveys—cementing its dominance across both regional and federal levels.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico sharply rebuked Brussels ahead of next week’s European Council summit, accusing EU leaders of using Ukraine to ‘cover up their inability’ to solve the bloc’s real problems—namely soaring energy costs and a crisis in the automotive industry.
German Green MEP Daniel Freund has lodged a criminal complaint against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, alleging an attempt to hack his email using spyware. Freund—long a vocal Orbán critic—claims Hungarian intelligence was behind the attack.
A new poll shows Nigel Farage’s Reform UK heading for a landslide victory unprecedented in modern British politics, securing a projected 445 seats in the House of Commons. As disillusionment with Labour and the Conservatives deepens, commentators warn that the two-party system is collapsing.
Following his breakthrough Gaza peace deal, US President Donald Trump now seeks to replicate the success in Ukraine. Ahead of his Friday meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump remains confident he can broker an end to the war—even as Kyiv pushes for Tomahawk missiles and Moscow warns of escalation.
The Trump administration has launched its long-awaited crackdown on Antifa, opening FBI investigations and contacting victims of Antifa-linked violence. Amid the pressure, Rutgers University professor and Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook author Mark Bray—dubbed ‘Dr Antifa’ by students—has reportedly fled the United States for Europe.
The Hungarian Pavilion emerged as one of the biggest attractions at the 2025 Osaka World Expo, drawing over one million visitors. Celebrated for blending tradition with innovation, Hungary’s showcase offered a vivid journey through folk music, gastronomy, and craftsmanship under the motto ‘Without our past, we have no future’.
Renew Europe chief Valérie Hayer has demanded that Ursula von der Leyen ‘use her power to act’ over reports of an alleged Hungarian spy network in Brussels tied to Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi. Hungarian officials strongly denied the story, calling it a foreign-funded smear campaign designed to damage Budapest ahead of next year’s election.
Charlie Kirk would have turned 32 today, 14 October 2025. One month after his assassination, the United States marks the first National Day of Remembrance for the conservative activist, with both chambers of Congress passing resolutions to honour his legacy and condemn political violence.
US President Donald Trump has endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for the 2026 parliamentary election, expressing full confidence that he will outperform his 2022 result. Speaking at the Gaza peace deal signing in Egypt, Trump called Orbán ‘fantastic’ and said the US stands ‘100 per cent behind’ Hungary’s leader.
The mayor of Herdercke, SPD politician Iris Stalzer, remains in critical condition after being stabbed 13 times and tortured by her adopted migrant daughter. The 17-year-old reportedly held her mother captive for hours, yet prosecutors have declined to bring charges.
Viktor Orbán will join world leaders in Sharm El Sheikh for the signing of the historic Israel–Hamas peace deal brokered by Donald Trump. The Hungarian prime minister hailed the breakthrough as proof that ‘common-sense, pro-peace forces’ can prevail globally—from Gaza to Ukraine.
Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado credited Donald Trump as a key ally in Venezuela’s struggle for democracy, dedicating her award to both the Venezuelan people and the US president. The opposition leader said Venezuela was ‘on the threshold of victory’, thanks to Trump’s decisive backing and global leadership.
‘Hungary, and Ludovika in particular, can become a regional leader in building these connections and advancing joint research, education, and development projects with our Turkic partners,’ Director General for International Relations at Ludovika University Liliana Śmiech told Hungarian Conservative.
Brussels is set to investigate claims that Hungarian intelligence officers spied on EU institutions and sought to recruit an official while stationed at Hungary’s permanent representation between 2015 and 2017. The move comes eight years after the alleged network was dismantled—and just 6 months before Hungary’s general election.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen survived two separate censure motions in the European Parliament on Thursday, as mainstream factions once again shielded her from calls to resign. The right-wing Patriots for Europe and the Left had accused her of failures on trade, transparency and leadership, but both votes fell well short.
Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the second Hungarian to receive the prestigious honour. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán congratulated him, calling Krasznahorkai a ‘pride of Hungary’.
Israel and Hamas have accepted the first phase of Donald Trump’s peace plan, agreeing to a ceasefire, hostage releases, and Israeli troop pullback. The breakthrough, hailed by Benjamin Netanyahu as a ‘turning point’, comes just days before the Nobel Peace Prize announcement, with Trump emerging as a leading contender.
The 110th anniversary of Franz Josef Strauss’s birth was commemorated in Budapest with a conference organized by the National University of Public Service and the Otto von Habsburg Foundation. Speakers stressed the Bavarian leader’s vision of subsidiarity and his relevance for today’s debates on sovereignty and European cooperation.
Eric Clapton, one of rock’s greatest guitarists, is heading back to Budapest after 20 years. The 80-year-old music icon will play the MVM Dome on 2 May 2026, his first Hungarian concert since 2006, as part of a European tour following his successful US run.