From deep Appalachia to the White House, JD Vance has travelled a long road to becoming the 50th Vice President of the US. Along the way, his political views have evolved, shifting from opposing Trump to becoming a staunch MAGA Republican. Vance also loves Hungary, and he is not shy about it—he is one of the most vocal supporters of Viktor Orbán and his policies overseas.
‘Unlike France and Germany, Hungary has not been affected by cultural Marxism or wokeist ideology, so our peoples—Latin American and Hungarian—fundamentally share the same values, based on love for God, country and family.’
The latest episode of the Danube Institute’s podcast examines the emerging new world order under a Donald Trump presidency. Hosted by Rod Dreher, the episode features expert predictions on significant shifts in US foreign policy and their broader global implications.
An Afghan migrant, killed two people, including a toddler, in a knife attack in the German city of Aschaffenburg. The tragic incident marks the fourth immigration-related attack in just over six months, further heightening tensions ahead of the early elections in February.
The European Commission has decided to suspend Vienna’s Modul University from participating in the Erasmus+ and Horizon programmes, mirroring a similar decision made against 21 Hungarian universities in late 2022. Balázs Orbán, the political director of the Hungarian prime minister, condemned the decision as outrageous and pledged to defend academic freedom.
Donald Trump’s second presidency may bring a trade war between the EU and the United States. According to German weekly Die Zeit, Viktor Orbán could play a pivotal role in the trade negotiations should that happen.
While almost two-thirds of the Danish population were in favour of accession, 70.8 per cent of the citizens of Greenland rejected the idea of belonging to the European Community. The Inuit were reluctant to participate in European integration from the very beginning.
Ernő Schaller-Baross has stated in an interview with Hír TV that Donald Trump’s victory in the United States is proof that conservative, patriotic voices are getting stronger around the world, including Europe.
On 8 January European defence industry stock prices rose following Donald Trump’s press conference at Mar-a-Lago, where he declared the ownership and control of Greenland to be ‘an absolute necessity’. This came as a shock for many but in reality, America has been eyeing Greenland for more than a century.
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on Monday. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally of the US President, extended his congratulations, stressing that from now on the sun will shine differently over Brussels as well.
‘Our task now is to safeguard the TurkStream pipeline to ensure Hungary’s energy security,’ Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stressed after meeting Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. Orbán warned that Europe is heading toward another energy crisis, calling the skyrocketing fuel prices ‘outrageous.’
Over the past three years Milanović earned himself the reputation of being ‘the Croatian Donald Trump’. He became internationally well-known for his opposition to and critique of the West’s military support to Kyiv. The re-elected president condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while he was also a vocal critic of Europe’s attitude towards the conflict.
Hamas clearly used the hostage release as a shameless PR opportunity. The terrorist organization gathered a massive crowd in Gaza City’s central square, where uniformed Hamas militants staged a victory parade before handing over the three young women to the International Red Cross.
As the Israel–Hamas ceasefire deal enters force, Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced that Omri Miran, a Hungarian Israeli hostage held in Gaza, will be released during the second phase of the agreement.
‘By maintaining a flexible and multi-vector foreign policy, Hungary can remain a keystone state, mediating between various global powers while safeguarding its economic and strategic interests against the uncertainties of a shifting global order.’
Poland aims to prepare Council conclusions on a European energy security strategy in the next six months, with the main objective of its programme being to fully divest from fossil fuels from Russia.
‘When Brussels’ antagonism was previously limited to Hungary and Poland, it was easier to frame Budapest and Warsaw as isolated cases. However, this narrative is rapidly collapsing. It won’t be long before Brussels finds itself in opposition to the majority of member states and the will of their electorates.’
‘For Europe, openness has always been a competitive advantage, underpinning its prosperity and global influence,’ State Secretary for International Communication Zoltán Kovács highlighted in a recent interview with Eurasia magazine.
In the new, post-Assad chapter of Syria’s history Hungary will likely continue to emphasize humanitarian aid, regional stability, and the prevention of migration crises in its Damascus policy. The Hungary Helps Program, coupled with EU-led initiatives, makes Hungary a proactive participant in addressing the Syrian crisis and fostering the stability of the Middle East.
Even after stepping down as US Ambassador to Hungary, David Pressman can’t seem to resist his biased criticisms and false accusations against the Hungarian government. In a major interview with The New York Times, he exclusively discussed his claim that Hungary is not a democracy. Political director of the Hungarian Prime Minister Balázs Orbán, however, hit back with a clever response.
Hungarophobic MEP Daniel Freund mockingly posted several times about Viktor Orbán not being invited to Donald Trump’s inauguration next Monday. Freund obviously has no idea what he is talking about. Our commentary.
US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump both claimed credit for the ceasefire deal reached between Hamas and Israel on Wednesday. However, third-party sources confirmed that Trump’s Mideast special envoy, Steve Witkoff, accomplished more to secure the agreement in a single meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu than Biden did over the past year.
‘The more this happens, the more Europeans will realize that they do not live in truly free countries, and that what they have been sold is a falsehood. Those responsible for the economic stagnation in Europe, the insecurity, the loss of identity, the demographic decline, and the extreme polarization of societies have a name and a surname: the European Establishment.’
United opposition parties have filed a motion of no confidence against Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico over his ties with Vladimir Putin and his pro-peace stance on the war in Ukraine. Fico, who survived an assassination attempt in May, has halted state-level weapon shipments to Kyiv and remains in constant conflict with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
President Biden’s approval rating currently stands at 38.8 per cent in the RealClearPolitics polling aggregate, and at just 36.1 per cent in the FiveThirtyEight polling aggregate. Meanwhile, President Trump left office in January 2021—after the controversial Capitol riots—with a 41.1 per cent approval on RCP and a 38.6 per cent approval on 538.
After Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico extended an invitation for talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded with his characteristic brand of arrogant diplomacy. Kyiv has adopted a similarly combative style in its interactions with Hungary.
Since Hungary granted political asylum to the persecuted former Polish Deputy Justice Minister Marcin Romanowski, Donald Tusk’s government has launched a retaliatory campaign against Hungary’s ambassador to Warsaw, István Ijjártó. According to Polish media reports, this campaign could culminate in Ijjártó’s expulsion from the country.
On 14 January, after just over two years, US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman’s tenure came to an end. His legacy will be remembered not for strengthening US–Hungarian relations, but for significantly undermining them.
Trump’s emphasis on national interests enables Hungary to prioritize its own, Balázs Orbán, the Hungarian Prime Minister’s political director, noted during a high-profile panel discussion held in Vienna, Austria on Sunday. The panel featuring international experts focused on the potential impact of Donald Trump’s second presidency on the future of Europe.
‘As China’s growth rate already lags behind major emerging economies in South and Southeast Asia, such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and is predicted to be less than half of most of these in the second half of this decade, China’s aspirations to dominate Asia seem futile.’