Israel has recovered the body of Ilan Weiss, a 56-year-old hostage of Hungarian origin, from Gaza. Weiss was killed defending Kibbutz Be’eri during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack. His wife and daughter, once hostages themselves, were freed last November and later visited Hungary.
A new flashpoint in Polish–Ukrainian ties emerged after President Karol Nawrocki proposed outlawing Bandera symbols, branding them equal to Nazi insignia. While Warsaw frames the bill as historical justice, Kyiv condemned it as a hostile act, warning of consequences for bilateral relations.
Hungary has banned the Ukrainian commander linked to the latest strike on the Druzhba oil pipeline, with Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó condemning the attack as a grave assault on sovereignty and warning of serious consequences.
‘From a regional perspective, Hungary and neighbouring states remain attentive to Ukraine’s enhanced arsenal and the parallel debate over US-supplied armaments. At the same time, Ukraine’s military actions have intensified, with recent strikes on the Druzhba oil pipeline, a vital energy artery supplying Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia.’
‘According to the Deputy Foreign Minister, the conflict is a religious war against radical Islamist ideology, not a territorial one. Western leaders like Macron, she said, fail to grasp this. In her view, Hamas fights against universal Western values, leaving Israel with no choice but to defend itself.’
As peace talks gain momentum, Russia demands Ukrainian neutrality and security guarantees from global powers, including UN Security Council members. China, despite denying plans for peacekeepers, remains open to diplomatic involvement, aligning with Xi Jinping’s earlier principles for ending the war.
‘Hungary, too, was forced to be part of the Soviet bloc when Soviet troops entered the country in 1945. Three years later, the future Cardinal and Primate of Hungary, József Mindszenty, opened the Marian Year to entrust, like King St. Stephen, the fate of Hungary to the intercession of the Blessed Mother…’
‘He emphasized that the goal of military operations, however, is not bloodshed, but to eliminate armed threats with as few civilian casualties as possible. Yet, according to the panellists, Western media often distorts this, replacing the complex reality of war with oversimplified narratives.’
A Russian missile strike on Mukachevo (Munkács) on 21 August injured 23 and marked the first hit on Transcarpathia in the war’s three years. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán pledged medical support from Hungarian hospitals and stressed that peace efforts must continue to protect ethnic Hungarians.
On 20 August, Hungary marked its 1025th anniversary as a state, commemorating St Stephen’s foundation of the Christian kingdom. Leaders worldwide—from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and EU Council President António Costa to Armenia’s Nikol Pashinyan and Gulf partners—extended congratulations.