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☆ Despite Trump’s embrace of Orbán, Senate Republicans sound alarms over Hungary’s democratic backsliding
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Morgan Rimmer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington CNN —If there is one area where senior Senate Republicans have chosen to break with former President Donald Trump, it is his embrace of Hungary’s far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He added, “Hungary also continues to disregard the concerns raised by its allies and partners about deepening its ties with China. Orbán has endorsed Trump, and Trump has touted the prime minister’s backing, even noting it during September’s presidential debate. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina restarted the U.S. Senate NATO Observer Group in 2018, co-chairing the group alongside Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. This led Tillis and Shaheen to introduce a Senate resolution condemning Hungary’s democratic backsliding and its delay in allowing Sweden to join the alliance.

Persons: Donald Trump, Viktor Orbán, –, Sen, John Cornyn of, Jerry Moran, ” Moran, Cornyn, Republican appropriator, Susan Collins of, John Hoeven of, John Boozman of, Orbán, ”, Trump, “, Mitch McConnell, ” McConnell, Josh Hawley, Kari Lake, Orbán “, Andy Harris of, Paul Gosar, Orbán’s, McConnell, ’, GOP Sen, Thom Tillis, Democratic Sen, Jeanne Shaheen of, Tillis, Shaheen, ” Tillis Organizations: Washington CNN, Republicans, GOP, Conservative, “, Republican, European Union, Parliament, Kentucky Republican, NATO, ., Trump, Caucus, “ Republicans, CNN, Reagan Republicans, Senate, U.S . Senate NATO Observer Group, Democratic Locations: Budapest, John Cornyn of Texas, Hungary, Kansas, Russia, China, “, “ Hungary, Susan Collins of Maine, Sens, John Hoeven of North Dakota, John Boozman of Arkansas, Ukraine, Mar, Lago, Germany, France, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Andy Harris of Maryland, Arizona, U.S, Washington, North Carolina, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Sweden, NATO

☆ Hungary told it can't host EU gathering after the latest clash with Putin ally over Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Hungary has been stripped of the right to host a forthcoming gathering of European Union ministers due to its stance on the war in Ukraine. "We have to send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal, that being against the foreign policy of the European Union ... has to have some consequences," Borrell told reporters in Brussels on Monday. Borrell said he had made the decision to hold the next gathering in Brussels after almost every EU foreign minister meeting on Monday was critical of Hungary's stated position on Kyiv, Russia and the war in Ukraine. Orban, who's seen as an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has since provoked fury in Brussels by describing EU policy on Ukraine as "pro-war." He nevertheless told reporters that the move was not a "boycotting" of Hungary and that the country would be present at the next gathering.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Borrell, Hungary's, Viktor Orban, Orban, who's, Vladimir Putin, Péter Szijjártó, it's Organizations: European Union, EU, Hungary's, Reuters Locations: Hungary, Ukraine, Brussels, Budapest, Kyiv, Russia, China

☆ Pushing Quick End to Ukraine War, Orban Plays Trump’s Messenger to E.U.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Matina Stevis-Gridneff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After meeting with Donald J. Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home on Thursday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary wrote to a top E.U. official to say that Mr. Trump had told him he was planning a swift push for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Mr. Trump’s view, the letter explained, was that the war had to end, and that he had specific plans to broker this outcome quickly, even before being inaugurated, if he were elected. It did not offer details about how Mr. Trump would end the intractable war, now in its third year, other than to indicate that he would reduce American financial support for Ukraine. Mr. Orban is closely aligned with Mr. Trump and is the fiercest critic-from-within of the European Union’s staunch backing of Ukraine.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Viktor Orban, Hungary, Trump’s, Orban Organizations: The New York Times, Mr Locations: Russia, Ukraine

Mr. Trump has been a vocal supporter of Mr. Orban’s, and the meeting comes after a series of others by the Hungarian leader this month, including one with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, that caught many by surprise. Hungary took over the European Union’s rotating presidency at the start of July with the promise to “make Europe great again” — echoing the “Make America Great Again” slogan of Mr. Trump, whom Mr. Orban has endorsed for the U.S. presidency. Mr. Trump, who has a history of praising authoritarian leaders, often cites Mr. Orban’s support on the campaign trail. The two men met in March at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida, where Mr. Trump lauded Mr. Orban as a “boss” because he did not brook political dissent. presidency is largely a clerical position, Mr. Orban has engaged in a flurry of meetings with world leaders since taking over the position.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Donald J, Trump, Orban’s, Vladimir V, Putin, ”, Mr, Orban Organizations: Trump, NATO, U.S, Mr Locations: Hungary, Florida, Washington, Hungarian, Russia, Europe, Mar

☆ Viktor Orban, Hungary’s Leader, Meets With Xi in China After Talks With Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Chris Buckley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary met with China’s leader, Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday, courting another authoritarian partner after talks with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Moscow last week. In announcing Mr. Orban’s visit to Beijing, China’s official Xinhua news agency said only that Mr. Xi would hold an “in-depth discussion with him on issues of mutual interest.” The leaders last met two months ago, when Mr. Xi visited Budapest as part of a drive to restore Chinese influence in Europe. Chinese state television said that Mr. Xi and Mr. Orban were holding talks in the Diaooyutai State Guesthouse, but gave no other details. This meeting will give Mr. Xi and Mr. Orban, an outlier in the European Union on support for Ukraine and other issues, a chance to urge the bloc to distance itself from Washington. Hungary began its six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union this month, giving Mr. Orban a higher profile, though not much more influence, in wider European affairs.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Xi, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Orban’s, Orban Organizations: Xinhua, European Union, of Locations: Hungary, Beijing, Russia, Moscow, Budapest, Europe, Diaooyutai State, Ukraine, Washington, European Union

☆ Viktor Orban Meets Vladimir Putin, Dismaying E.U.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Anton Troianovski | Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary met with President Vladimir V. Putin at the Kremlin on Friday, a rare trip to Russia by a Western leader and one that quickly stirred consternation in the European Union. Mr. Orban made the trip three days after visiting President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. And it was the same week that Hungary took over the European Union’s rotating presidency, prompting other European leaders to quickly declare that Mr. Orban was not representing them in Moscow. Mr. Putin and Mr. Orban met for more than two hours, but there were no signs that the talks had done anything to influence Mr. Putin. The Hungarian leader appeared to acknowledge as much, telling reporters afterward that the positions of Kyiv and Moscow “are very far apart.”

Persons: Viktor Orban, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Orban, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zoltan Kovacs, ” Organizations: European Union Locations: Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Moscow, Hungarian, Moscow “

☆ Hungary’s Prime Minister Orban — a key Putin ally — makes first wartime visit to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-02 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (L) talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (R) in the Europa building prior the start of the meeting on June 27, 2024, in Brussels, Belgium. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday for his first wartime visit to the battle-torn country. Orban, meanwhile, communicated Hungary's intentions to improve ties with Ukraine and sign a broad bilateral cooperation agreement, while urging Zelenskyy to consider a quick cease-fire to accelerate peace talks, Reuters reported. Orban absented from last month's Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland, where Hungary was instead represented by Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. The Hungarian prime minister has also been one of the few Western leaders to meet the increasingly isolated Kremlin leader Putin since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Orban, Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Orban's, " Orban, Orban absented, Peter Szijjarto, Putin, Donald Trump, Jens Stoltenberg Organizations: European Union, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Reuters, nonmember Kyiv, Ukraine Peace Summit, Foreign, Associated Press, NATO Locations: Europa, Brussels, Belgium, Hungarian, Ukraine, Hungary, Moldova, Switzerland

☆ Viktor Orban, Putin’s greatest European ally, makes first trip to Kyiv since start of war
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-02 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

According to Zhovkva, Kyiv’s number one tool to end hostilities is through a second peace summit, which Ukraine is already preparing for. “We are saying that Ukraine will draft its peace plan, a roadmap for establishing peace in Ukraine. Orban also stated his desire to improve relations between Budapest and Kyiv, which have been strained by the Hungarian leader’s close relationship with Putin. Tuesday’s meeting comes as Orban and Hungary take control of the EU Council’s rotating presidency, which changes every six months. The agenda for that event is expected to be dominated by long-term plans to support Ukraine and conversations about its eventual accession to the alliance.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Zelensky, Orban, Vladimir Putin, “, ” Orban, Ihor Zhovkva, Orban “, ” Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron’s, Zhovkva, Putin, Donald Trump’s, Zoltan Fischer Organizations: CNN, Russian Federation, United, EU, White, NATO, Political Locations: Hungarian, Kyiv, Moscow, Ukraine, Hungary, Russian, Budapest, Russia, United Nations, Crimea, Tuesday’s, Washington , DC, Ukrainian, United Kingdom

☆ Emerging From Orban’s Shadow, a Former Ally Tries to Steal His Limelight
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Railing against the right-wing government that until recently counted him as a trusted insider, Hungary’s most popular and improbable opposition leader stood on the back of a flatbed truck surrounded by cheering followers. “Step by step, brick by brick, we will take back our country,” shouted the opposition leader, Peter Magyar, reciting what, during a tour of towns and villages across Hungary, has been the crowd-pleasing mantra of the 43-year-old’s upstart political movement. Making the moment all the more provocative was the location that Mr. Magyar chose for the rally: just down the road from a house that Prime Minister Viktor Orban owns in Felcsut, the village where the leader grew up. Since taking power 14 years ago, Mr. Orban has won four general elections in a row, refashioning Hungary into an “illiberal democracy” often more in tune with China and Russia than with its nominal allies in NATO and the European Union. Now, for the first time in years, the country has been swept by a sense that change, though not imminent, is possible.

Persons: ”, Peter Magyar, Magyar, Viktor Orban, Orban Organizations: NATO, European Union Locations: Hungary, Felcsut, China, Russia

☆ A Hungarian Rapper’s Bandwagon Gets an Unlikely New Rider
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-15 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The 22-year-old rapper is so popular — he recently held three sold-out concerts at Hungary’s largest stadium — that even Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a stodgy champion of traditional values not known for being in tune with youth or its culture, claims he is a fan. Mr. Orban has said he particularly likes the song “Rampapapam,” a reggae-flavored ode to the joys of cannabis. It’s a surprising choice given the prime minister’s conservative views and one that raised questions about whether he has actually listened to it or just watched its video showing the musician playing soccer, the leader’s favorite sport. But Attila Bauko, a Hungarian superstar better known as Azahriah, has won so many passionate fans in Hungary that Mr. Orban, who has had 14 years in power, appears to want some of the rapper’s energy and stardust. “Since they see that a lot of people like me, it seems they want to be friendly,” Azahriah said in an interview backstage before a concert last month at the Puskas Arena, a sports stadium in Budapest, that attracted nearly 50,000 people for each of the three nights he performed.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Orban, Attila Bauko, Mr, ” Azahriah Organizations: Puskas Arena Locations: Hungarian, Hungary, Budapest

☆ Live Updates: Slovakia’s Prime Minister in ‘Life-Threatening’ Condition After Shooting
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | Pavol Strba | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot and seriously wounded on Wednesday in what the government called an assassination attempt. A post on the prime minister’s official and verified Facebook page said that Mr. Fico was in “life-threatening condition” after sustaining “multiple” gunshot wounds. Local media reported that the attack unfolded in the central Slovak town of Handlova, where Mr. Fico, a veteran politician, had been meeting with supporters. Mr. Fico has aligned with the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, in opposing aid to Ukraine and challenging mainstream opinions within the European Union. On Wednesday, Mr. Orban was quick to send well wishes to Mr. Fico, whom he called “my friend.”“We pray for his health and quick recovery,” Mr. Orban wrote on social media.

Persons: Robert Fico, Fico, “, Zuzana Caputova, ”, Caputova, Viktor Orban, Orban, Mr, Ursula von der Leyen Organizations: Local, Facebook, Reuters, European Union, European Commission Locations: Slovak, Handlova, Russia, Ukraine, United States

☆ China’s Xi Jinping highlights Europe’s divisions ahead of expected Putin visit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chinese state media played up the warm diplomacy, with headlines proclaiming China’s “ironclad” bond with Serbia and “golden friendship” with Hungary. Both are sure to closely watch any summit between Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in China, expected to happen soon. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is welcomed at the airport in Belgrade on May 7 for his two-day state visit. Xi also marketed a shared worldview during his meeting with Orban in Hungary, which is a member of both the EU and NATO. Chinese leader Xi Jinping talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest on May 9.

Persons: Xi, Peng Liyuan, Aleksandar Vucic, Viktor Orban, China’s, Vucic, Orban –, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der, Vladimir Putin, Orban, Hungary “, ’ ”, Philippe Le Corre, ”, Putin, Le Corre, Xi Jinping, Dimitrije Goll, Xi’s, Serbia’s Vucic, ” Vucic, Bruno Le Maire, BYD, Liu Dongshu, Vivien Cher Benko, Tamas Matura, Mark Rutte, Olaf Scholz, Matura, Von der, “ Orban, Gabor Scheiring Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Russia, Ukraine, China, Europe …, Asia Society, Center for, Forum, Anadolu, Getty, EU, NATO, ”, Xi, Hong Kong’s City University ., Hungarian, Central, Dutch, Georgetown University Locations: Hong Kong, France, Ukraine, China, Belgrade, Budapest, Paris, Serbian, Hungarian, Serbia, Hungary, Europe, Russia, Russian, ”, Europe … Hungary, Center for China, Beijing, United States, EU, Hong, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, Moscow, Qatar, “ Hungary

☆ In Budapest, Xi Hails a ‘Deep Friendship’ With Hungary
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Xi Jinping of China on Thursday found another safe zone in a continent increasingly wary of his country, meeting in Budapest with the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, the European Union’s perennial odd-man-out as a vocal supporter of warm relations with both China and Russia. As happened at his previous stop in Serbia, Mr. Xi received a rapturous welcome and was spared from protesters, with his motorcade from the airport on Wednesday evening taking a roundabout route into the Hungarian capital, avoiding Tibetan protesters. Police banned a protest planned for Thursday in the center of Budapest and a large Tibetan flag that had been hoisted on a hill overlooking the venue of a welcome reception was covered with a Chinese one. In an article in Magyar Nemzet, which is controlled by Mr. Orban’s governing Fidesz party, Mr. Xi gushed about his “deep friendship” with Hungarian leaders and described Hungary as a trusted “traveling companion” on what he called a “golden voyage” that had taken relations to their “best period of history.” Hungary, he noted, was “the No. 1 target in the central Eastern European region for Chinese investment.”

Persons: Xi Jinping, Viktor Orban, Xi, Orban’s, Xi gushed, ” Organizations: Police, Fidesz, ” Locations: China, Budapest, Russia, Serbia, Magyar, Hungary, ” Hungary

The American right’s growing embrace of Orbán builds upon millions of dollars that his government has spent on lobbying in the US, and new connections between Hungarian and American conservative think tanks. “Make America great again, make Europe great again!” Orbán declared in English, before continuing in Hungarian: “Go Donald Trump! Conservatives from around the US, Europe and beyond traveled to Budapest for the two-day event, which was organized by a Hungarian government-funded think tank. Two American nonprofits that are actively planning policies for a second Trump term have shown an interest in Hungary and Orbán’s model. But some of the American conservatives who flew into the country for CPAC seemed more focused on the optics of Budapest than on democratic rights.

Persons: crackdowns, “, Viktor Orbán, Orbán, Donald Trump’s, ” Orbán, Donald Trump !, ” Trump, ”, Trump, Steve Bannon, President Trump, Gladden Pappin, Szilard Koszticsak, White, ” Pappin, “ saviors, Bannon, Kari Lake, Mark Meadows, Andy Harris, Zoltan Mathe, Paul Gosar, Christopher Rufo, István, Ron DeSantis, Trumpists, Kim Lane Scheppele, Orbán’s, Zsuzsanna Szelényi, ” Szelényi, Márton Gulyás, influencers strode, Joey Mannarino, ” Kyung Lah, Anna, Maja Rappard, Casey Tolan, Curt Devine Organizations: Hungary CNN —, Republican, Conservative, Trump, European Union, Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, Conservative Political, “ Conservative, White House, ”, Republican Arizona, CNN, Department of Justice, Southern Poverty Law, Heritage Foundation, America, Policy Institute, Institute, Florida Gov, Princeton Locations: Budapest, Hungary, American, Europe, Lago, Dallas, America, Hungarian, Arizona, United States, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Florida, “ Hungary, marveled, New York, Washington

☆ Hungary’s Orban, a long-time Trump ally, rocked by major scandals ahead of European elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives to attend a European Council summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on March 21, 2024. Sameer Al-doumy | Afp | Getty ImagesHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has run into political trouble ahead of European parliamentary elections in June, with his ruling party shaken by two political scandals within six weeks. Orban is a long-time ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump and widely seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest supporter in the European Union. The right-wing leader has led the central European country since 2010, making him the EU's longest-serving head of state. Yet two major scandals have recently rocked his dominance of Budapest's political landscape at a sensitive time when Hungary is poised to hold both local and European elections in early June.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Sameer Al, Orban, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin's, Peter Magyar, Janos Kummer, Zsuzsanna Vegh, Vegh, Magyar, Judit Varga —, Katalin Novak, Novak, Varga, William Shakespeare Organizations: Hungary's, EU, Afp, Getty, Hungarian, European Union, Eurasia Group, Fidesz, German Marshall Fund of, CNBC, Facebook, YouTube, Reuters, Lawyer Locations: Brussels, doumy, Hungary, Budapest, United States, Hungarian

Look no further than the close and historically complicated relationship that American presidents and congressional leaders have negotiated with Israel leaders over the last 75 years. Obama declined to invite Netanyahu to the White House during the visit, with White House officials saying that holding such a visit so close to Israel's election would be inappropriate. The standard Obama set for a White House visit wasn't one Bill Clinton subscribed to years earlier. The bigger the ally's economy, the less likely American leaders are to meddle openly in its elections. “There are moments when American leaders want to and need to speak out and have their say.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Mitch McConnell, Schumer, ”, Mike Johnson, Benny Gantz, Netanyahu, Schumer's, Netanyahu —, “, —, Aaron David Miller, Donald Trump, John Boehner, Boehner, Barack Obama's, Obama, wasn't, Bill Clinton, Clinton, Shimon Peres, Peres, Edward Frantz, meddle, ” Frantz, November's, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Andrzej Duda, Johnson, Biden, Viktor Orbán, Orbán, Trump, David Pressman, Jake Sullivan, ” Sullivan, Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, Bush, ” Miller Organizations: WASHINGTON, — Republicans, Democratic, Republican, Israel, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, U.S, White, Israeli, University of Indianapolis, November's Biden, Trump, NATO, Polish, Biden, Republican House, Hungarian, White House Locations: Gaza, Israel, East, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, U.S, Hungarian, ” Hungary, Budapest, Sinai, Suez

☆ Orban Endangers Hungary’s Status as an Ally, U.S. Diplomat Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Viktor Orban is jeopardizing Hungary’s position as a trusted NATO ally, the U.S. ambassador to Budapest warned on Thursday, with “its close and expanding relationship with Russia,” and with “dangerously unhinged anti-American messaging” in state-controlled media. The ambassador, David Pressman, has for months criticized Mr. Orban for effectively siding with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russa over the war in Ukraine, but his latest remarks sharply ratcheted up tensions and indicated that trust in Hungary among NATO allies had collapsed. Hungary is “an ally that behaves unlike any other” and is “alone on the defining issue of European security of the last quarter century, Russia’s war in Ukraine,” Mr. Pressman said in a speech in Budapest marking the 25th anniversary of Hungary’s admission to the Western military alliance. “We will have to decide how best to protect our security interests, which, as allies, should be our collective security interests,” he added.

Persons: Viktor Orban, “, David Pressman, Mr, Orban, Vladimir V, Putin, Russa, ” Mr, Pressman Organizations: NATO Locations: NATO, U.S, Budapest, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary

☆ Hungary's leader claims Trump told him he would cut off U.S. military aid to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Vaughn Hillyard | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a new interview that former President Donald Trump told him he would cut off U.S. military aid to Ukraine in an effort to end its conflict with Russia. NBC News reached out to the Trump campaign, which did not respond to a request for comment for over 24 hours. That is why the war will end, because it is obvious that Ukraine cannot stand on its own feet," Orbán said. As Hungary's leader, Orbán has largely been critical of providing aid, including weapons to Ukraine, and has resisted the expansion of NATO. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has been waiting for Congress to approve legislation to provide additional aid to Ukraine.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, Donald Trump, Orbán, Trump, he's, Viktor Orban, Biden, Mike Johnson Organizations: NBC, Beach, NATO, European Union, House Republican Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Ukrainian, Lago

☆ Viktor Orbán meeting offers preview of Trump’s 2nd-term strongman idealizations
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Trump sees Orbán as the kind of strongman – unencumbered by legal and political restraints – that he’d like to be. Ahead of his meeting with the former president, Orbán endorsed Trump’s views on Ukraine, in what will have been music to Putin’s ears and will have added to alarm in Kyiv about what a second Trump term would mean. “It is not gambling but actually betting on the only sensible chance, that we in Hungary bet on the return of President Trump,” Orbán told an economic forum on Monday, Reuters reported. In a statement, Biden’s campaign rebuked Trump for meeting “Hungarian dictator Viktor Orbán, notorious for eroding his own country’s democracy and cozying up to Vladimir Putin (sound familiar? Much of Europe is already recoiling in horror over the possibility of a second term for Trump.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, Donald Trump, isn’t, Biden, CNN’s Betsy Klein, Trump, – unencumbered, Orbán, Vladimir Putin –, laud Orbán, he’s, ” Trump, –, ” Orbán, “, ”, Joe Biden’s, Putin, castigate Trump, ’ ” Biden, didn’t, ” Biden, Vladimir Putin Organizations: CNN, Biden, GOP, Trump, Conservative Political, NATO, European, EU, Reuters, Republicans, Republican Locations: Hungarian, United States, Orbán, Florida, Russian, Ukraine, New Hampshire, Hungary, Sweden, Kyiv, Russia, American, Europe, Budapest

☆ Biden projects a vision of strength that’s been missing from his presidency but will be needed in 2024 campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

And in the most important moment of the 2024 election campaign so far, Biden appeared to succeed. “President Biden is clearly not on his A-game and I think that’s a charitable way to describe it. Republicans complain Biden politicized a great state eventSome Republicans faulted the president’s delivery and said he mistook loudness for strength. And in his speech on Thursday, Biden was advocating a different kind of strength – one rooted in democracy rather than in trying to destroy it. That debate about two vastly different visions of the meaning and the soul of the country will decide the fates of both Biden and Trump come November.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, — Biden, Trump, ”, “, ” Biden, ” Trump, —, Alabama Sen, Katie Britt, Mike Johnson, ” Johnson, he’s, genuflecting, autocrats, Ronald Reagan’s, Mikhail Gorbachev, Putin, ’ ” Biden, Xi Jinping’s, hale, George W, Bush’s, Ari Fleischer mused, Dan Crenshaw, Rush Limbaugh, –, Viktor Orban, Orban cozies, Orban, CNN’s Betsy Klein, I’ve, let’s Organizations: CNN, State, Representatives, GOP, Republicans, Capitol, Trump, ”, Union, Alabama, Republican, Democratic, Republican National Convention, America, Biden Locations: Trump, Florida, year’s State, Ukraine, Russian, Xi Jinping’s China, China, Texas, American, Hungarian, Mar

☆ Trump to Meet Next Week With Orban, Hungary’s Leader
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Maggie Haberman | Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald J. Trump will meet privately with Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, at Mr. Trump’s club in Florida next week, according to a person briefed on the plans. Mr. Orban is a right-wing nationalist who has waged an aggressive campaign against immigration and has declared that the West “is at war with itself.” He is a longtime ally of Mr. Trump and has close ties to the populist conservative movement in the United States. Mr. Trump has frequently praised Mr. Orban at rallies and in speeches since leaving the White House. Their meeting, which is scheduled to take place at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach next Friday, underscores the degree to which Mr. Trump has tried to establish himself as a sort of president-in-exile. It comes as Mr. Trump is closing in on the Republican presidential nomination and is preparing for the general election campaign against President Biden, who has had a chilly relationship with the Hungarian prime minister.

Persons: Donald J, Viktor Orban, Orban, Trump, Mr, Trump’s, Biden Organizations: Trump, White, Republican Locations: Hungary, Florida, United States, Lago, Palm Beach

☆ Sweden clears final hurdle in bid to join NATO after Hungary approves accession
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | Stephanie Halasz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Of the 194 members of parliament who voted, just six rejected Sweden’s accession. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Sweden will join the alliance now that all allies have approved Sweden’s bid to join. As NATO states, Finland and Sweden will enjoy the protection granted under Article 5 of the treaty that established the alliance – which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack against all. While most NATO members quickly approved Finland and Sweden’s applications, Hungary and Turkey held out for some time. Video Ad Feedback Turkish parliament approves Sweden's NATO membership bid 01:05 - Source: CNNShortly after the Turkish vote, Orban told NATO chief Stoltenberg that his government would also support Swedish membership.

Persons: CNN —, Vladimir Putin, Ulf Kristersson, Viktor Orban, Sweden’s, ” Kristersson, Jens Stoltenberg, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Orban, Stoltenberg, Putin, Luke McGee, Lauren Kent Organizations: CNN, NATO, Stockholm, Swedish, Gripen, “, United, Russia, Ukraine, Union, EU, Sweden’s, Budapest, Kyiv Locations: Budapest, Hungary, Swedish, “ Sweden, Sweden, United States, Atlantic Treaty, Eastern Europe, Russia’s, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Stockholm, EU, Europe, Israel

☆ Hungary’s Parliament Approves Sweden’s NATO Bid After Stalling
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Hungary’s Parliament voted on Monday to approve Sweden as a new member of NATO, allowing the Nordic country to clear a final hurdle that had blocked its membership and held up efforts by the military alliance to isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine. The measure passed after a vote of 188 for and only 6 against in the 199-member Parliament, which is dominated by legislators from the governing Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. On Friday, after his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, made a visit to Budapest, the Hungarian capital, Mr. Orban declared the end of a monthslong spat with Sweden over its membership of NATO. Hungary had been stalling for 19 months on ratifying Sweden’s admission, a delay that had puzzled and exasperated the United States and other members of the alliance, raising questions about Hungary’s reliability as a member of the alliance.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Ulf Kristersson, Orban Organizations: NATO, Nordic, Fidesz Locations: Sweden, Russia, Ukraine, Budapest, Hungary, United States

☆ Orban Gives Green Light to Sweden’s NATO Bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary on Friday declared an end to a monthslong spat with Sweden over the expansion of NATO, saying that a visit by his Swedish counterpart had rebuilt trust and paved the way for the Hungarian Parliament to vote on Monday to ratify the Nordic nation’s membership in the alliance. “We are ready to fight for each other, to give our lives for each other,” Mr. Orban said at a joint news conference in Budapest, the Hungarian capital, with the visiting Swedish leader, Ulf Kristersson. Hungary has been the last holdout in endorsing Sweden’s NATO membership. The sudden warming of relations between the two countries followed a decision by Sweden to provide Hungary with four Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets in addition to the 14 its air force already uses, and a promise that Saab, the maker of the warplanes, will open an artificial intelligence research center in Hungary. Hungary had been stalling for 19 months on ratifying Sweden’s admission to NATO, a delay that had puzzled and exasperated the United States and other members of the military alliance.

Persons: Viktor Orban of Hungary, Mr, Orban, Ulf Kristersson Organizations: Friday, NATO, Swedish, Nordic, Gripen, Saab Locations: Sweden, Budapest, Swedish, Hungary, United States

☆ Child abuse scandal rattles Orban’s image as defender of ‘family values’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Orban has long posed as a globetrotting defender of Christian values and an enemy of liberalism. But Orban’s critics say his carefully constructed image is a thin guise for a plutocratic mode of governance designed to enrich a small group of oligarchs. The scandal could also weaken Hungary’s bid to gain more influence in Brussels in the upcoming European elections. Since the scandal was revealed last weekend by Hungarian news site 444.hu, “Orban has not made an appearance or said anything. Critics argue that Orban’s proposed constitutional solution to the scandal is a symptom of his autocratic mode of governance.

Persons: CNN —, Viktor Orban, Katalin Novak, Orban’s, ”, Judit Varga, Fidesz party’s, Varga, Orban, Hungary’s, “ Orban, Kim Lane Scheppele, Attila Kisbendek, Peter Magyar, “, ” Magyar, Magyar, Hungary ”, ” Orban, Critics, ” Scheppele, Hungary –, Bernadett Szabo, Scheppele, ‘, illiberal, ’ ”, Pope Francis, Eva Fodor, Fodor, Attila Kisbenedek, Zoltan Balog, Balog, hasn’t, Mark Rutte, Europe’s, he’s Organizations: CNN, CNN — Hungary’s, Fidesz, European Union, Princeton University, Partizan, State of, Reuters, Survey, Christian, Central European University, Getty Locations: Washington, Moscow, Brussels, Budapest, AFP, Varga’s, Hungary, State, Christian Europe, China, Venezuela, ”, Netherlands

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