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☆ US Envoy Slams Hungarian Govt for 'Disregarding' Interests of NATO Allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy to Budapest sharply criticised the Hungarian government on Tuesday for "disregarding" the interests of its NATO allies and strengthening ties with Russia at a time when its allies are isolating it. In a speech at AmCham to U.S. companies that have invested in Hungary, Ambassador David Pressman said Hungary has thrived as a member of the European Union and NATO, allowing companies run successful businesses in the Central European country that joined the EU in 2004. "Yet today, we are increasingly seeing an Ally that relies upon its NATO Allies, but feels comfortable disregarding the interests of those same Allies and our Alliance, including during a time of war in Europe," Pressman said. Sweden's NATO membership is pending ratification byTurkey and Hungary. Budapest opposes Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but Orban has kept up close relations with Moscow - partly due to Hungary's continued energy dependence on Russia.

Persons: David Pressman, Ally, Pressman, Vladimir, Putin, Viktor Orban's, Orban, Orban's, Krisztina, Marguerita Choy Organizations: U.S, NATO, European Union, Central European, EU, NATO Allies, Alliance Locations: BUDAPEST, Budapest, Russia, AmCham, U.S, Hungary, Europe, Ukraine, Washington, Moscow, Turkey

☆ EU states to start debating Ukraine membership talks on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] European Union (EU) flags fly in front of the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany, July 8, 2020. The initial draft, dated Dec.4 and seen by Reuters on Monday, reads: "The European Council decides to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and with Moldova." For Bosnia, the initial draft stated the bloc was "ready to open EU accession negotiations... once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is achieved". All three decisions would require unanimous backing of the 27 EU countries. "In our perception, no conditions for Ukraine to start accession talks are met," Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs told journalists separately on Monday.

Persons: Ralph Orlowski, Zoltan Kovacs, Charles Michel, Kovacs, Viktor Orban, Michel, Gabriela Baczynska, Jan Strupczewski, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: European Union, European Central Bank, REUTERS, Rights, European Commission, EU, Kyiv, Reuters, European Council, Commission, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Ukraine, Hungary, Moldova, Georgia, Bosnia, Soviet, Kyiv, EU, Caucasus, Tbilisi, Budapest, Hungarian, Brussels

☆ Ukraine's security service alleges Russian plot involving ex-president
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Poroshenko's political party, European Solidarity, said the former president had scheduled only meetings in Poland and the United States and warned the SBU security service against becoming involved in politics. Orban has frequently been at odds with Zelenskiy on several issues related to Ukraine's EU membership bid. European Solidarity, in its statement, called for dialogue with Orban who, it said, had a veto right over accession talks. Poroshenko, president from 2014 to 2019, accused Zelenskiy's administration on Friday of cancelling the permission and playing politics ahead of elections. Additional reporting by Boldizsar Gyori in Budapest, Editing by Ron Popeski and Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Petro Poroshenko, Gleb Garanich, Poroshenko, SBU, Viktor Orban, Vladimir Putin, Orban, Putin, Oleksandr Korniyenko, Poroshenko's, Zelenskiy's, Zelenskiy, Boldizsar Gyori, Ron Popeski, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European, Hungarian, European Union, Ukraine, EU, European Solidarity, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, European Solidarity, Poland, United States, Moscow, Budapest

☆ Hungary's Orban says EU should first sign strategic partnership accord with Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The European Union should first sign a strategic partnership agreement with Ukraine instead of starting membership talks with the country, Hungary's Viktor Orban said on Friday, flagging a way to a possible compromise ahead of a crucial EU summit. Orban reiterated on Friday that several issues would need to be cleared before membership talks could start with Ukraine, saying the country, making it impossible to assess what consequences Ukraine's membership would have on the bloc. So I will represent the view that the EU should first sign a strategic partnership agreement with Ukraine," Orban said in an interview on state radio. "Let's give time for us to work together, and when we see that we can work together, then let's bring up the issue of membership." The Hungarian premier urged a ceasefire in Ukraine, and said if the EU wanted to give more money to Ukraine then it should set up a separate financial fund outside the EU budget based on an intergovernmental agreement.

Persons: Hungary's Viktor Orban, Orban, " Orban, let's, Krisztina, Sharon Singleton, Gerry Doyle Organizations: European Union, EU, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, Ukraine, Hungary, Hungarian, Brussels, Budapest, EU

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia slams Finland's border closure, warns that tensions could arise if troops are deployed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - OCTOBER 30: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY MANDATORY CREDIT - " KREMLIN PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban (R) in Budapest, Hungary on October 30, 2019. (Photo by Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Hungary's foreign minister told CNBC on Tuesday that Budapest would never deliver weapons to Ukraine to help it fight Russia's invasion, saying Hungary wanted peace in the region. That same day, Finland's foreign minister announced a complete border closure with Russia. It said this "instrumentalized migration," posing "a serious threat to national security and public order." Russia denies the allegations and is yet to respond to the entire border closure.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban Organizations: NATO, Kremlin Press, Anadolu Agency, Getty, CNBC, Russia Locations: Brussels, Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY, Budapest, Hungary, Moscow

☆ EU Executive's Jourova Says No Talks About Ukraine Without Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A deputy head of the European Union executive said on Tuesday she would find "unacceptable" any talks about the war in Ukraine that would not include Kyiv or envisage the country giving up territory. The European Commission's vice-president Vera Jourova also said she would be "disappointed" if a Dec.14-15 summit of EU leaders refused to endorse proposals for more financial aid to Kyiv and a recommendation to launch accession talks with Ukraine. The Czech EU Commissioner who worked on her own country's EU entry nearly 20 years ago offered Kyiv a sympathetic ear recalling how difficult it was to meet European accession requirements. She said that, under President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine was finally ready to overcome endemic corruption. She said that unanimous backing of all the 27 EU countries would be needed to enact it.

Persons: Vera Jourova, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Viktor Orban, Gabriela Baczynska Organizations: European Union, Ukraine, Czech EU, EU, Kyiv Locations: BRUSSELS, Ukraine, Kyiv, Czech, Hungary

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Hungary's capital in December, his second trip to Budapest this year at a time when both countries remain the only NATO members not to have ratified Sweden's accession into the trans-Atlantic military alliance. It wasn't clear whether Erdogan and Orbán would discuss Sweden's NATO membership, which has been delayed for more than a year by Hungary and Turkey. Erdogan's government has delayed Sweden's ratification over accusations that Stockholm is too soft on Kurdish militants and other groups Turkey considers to be security threats. Finland became a NATO member in April after Turkey and Hungary were the last two members of the alliance to ratify the Nordic nation’s accession. Orbán's government has alleged that Swedish politicians have told “blatant lies” about the condition of Hungary’s democracy, but hasn't given specific conditions for approving Sweden's accession.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Bertalan Havasi, Viktor Orbán, Havasi didn't, Orbán, Hungary's, “, ___ Suzan Fraser Organizations: NATO, Turkish Strategic Cooperation Council, Hungarian, ATV, Associated Press, Fidesz, Sweden’s Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungary, Budapest, Hungarian, Turkey, Stockholm, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, “, Ankara

In Hungary, central bank governor Gyorgy Matolcsy is under pressure from Viktor Orban's government to cut rates further ahead of local and European Parliament elections next year. Reuters GraphicsTANGIBLE BENEFITSA 2021 World Bank survey found that political meddling in central bank policy led to sustained periods of high inflation in emerging market economies such as Turkey and Argentina. "Attempts to bring the president of the NBP before the State Tribunal can be directly interpreted as an attack on the independence of the central bank," the spokesman said. How those premia evolve will depend partly on how politics in Poland and Hungary is perceived by investors to influence the central banks in the months to come. "Everything else being equal, the less independent the central bank, the more real yield you need to have to be compensated for the risk," said Arif Joshi at Lazard Asset Management.

Persons: Adam Glapinski, Gyorgy Matolcsy, Viktor Orban's, Donald Tusk's, Karen Vartapetov, Paul Gamble, Glapinski's, Glapinski, Marta Kightley, Orban, Peter Virovacz, Arif Joshi, Karol Badohal, Gergely, Mark John, Toby Chopra Organizations: WARSAW, Law and Justice, U.S . Federal Reserve, EU, Sovereign, Investor, Emerging, Fitch, Local, ING, Lazard Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Hungarian, Poland, Hungary, BUDAPEST, Europe, Turkey, Argentina, WARSAW

☆ Facing Rematch With Biden, Trump Stays Focused – on Obama
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Susan Milligan | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

For former President Donald Trump, all political signs point to a rematch with President Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020 and increasingly has targeted Trump in his campaign ads. "They were interviewing [Orban] two weeks ago, and they said: 'What would you advise President Obama? He should immediately resign and they should replace him with President Trump, who kept the world safe,'" Trump said, implying that his predecessor was still in office. Editorial Cartoons on Donald Trump View All 695 Images"We did it with Obama,” Trump claimed during a speech in Washington, D.C., referring to his winning 2016 campaign against Clinton. You know Obama and Biden,” Trump said, trying to recover.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Barack Obama, –, Obama, Biden, Harold Holzer, " Holzer, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Minnesota, Viktor Orban, Orban, couldn't, Hillary Clinton, ” Trump, Clinton, “, couldn’t, “ It’s, Barack Hussein Obama, ”, Brian Kilmeade, ” Kilmeade, Guess, Kilmeade, He’s, Barack Obama’s, Obama lunched, Jeffrey Engel, Engel, Michal Cohen, Cohen Organizations: Trump, House, White House, Association, Roosevelt, Public, Hunter College, Republican Party, GOP, Obama, Donald Trump View, Washington , D.C, White, Fox, Fox News, Democratic, Center, Southern Methodist University in, Republican National Convention, Republican Locations: Alexandria, Cortez of New York, New Hampshire, Hungary, United States, Iowa, Washington ,, Israel, Iran, Southern Methodist University in Texas

☆ Stocks maintain November reign, oil hit by OPEC doubts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Bull statues are placed in font of screens showing the Hang Seng stock index and stock prices outside Exchange Square, in Hong Kong, China, August 18, 2023. Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) is nearing a fresh high for 2023, with the S&P 500 and MSCI's all-country world index (.MIWD00000PUS) both up more than 8% this month alone. For MSCI world that is the best showing since November 2020 when markets got a major shot in the arm from COVID vaccine hopes. Germany's 10-year bund , the benchmark for the Europe, was fractionally higher on the day at 2.57% having touched 3% last month. Bitcoin fell by 0.77% on Thursday to $37,337 after it rose nearly 5% on Wednesday.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Geert Wilders, Robert Alster, Viktor Orban, Wilders, Mark Rutte, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Changpeng Zhao, Marc Jones, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, PMI, ECB, Oil, Traders, Asset Management, European Union, Freedom Party, Labour, Green, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, European, HK, Reuters, Treasury, UK Finance, OPEC, Thomson Locations: Exchange, Hong Kong, China, Europe, U.S, EU, Germany, Holland, Ukraine, Turkey, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Brent, Bitcoin

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A countrywide billboard campaign that flooded the streets of Hungary this week takes aim at European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the start of an election campaign that marks an escalation of tensions between the country's nationalist conservative government and the European Union. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long taken an adversarial approach to the 27-nation bloc. He has accused Brussels of seeking to impose unwanted policies on Hungary, and compared membership in the EU to the 40 years of Soviet domination Hungary experienced in the 20th century. “This national consultation is by far the most anti-EU document that the government has released so far," Kreko said. But after more than two years and little apparent progress, the anti-EU campaign may show that Orbán has given up on unblocking them, said Dorka Takacsy, a research fellow at the Centre for Euro-Atlantic Integration and Democracy.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, von der Leyen, Alex Soros, George Soros, “, Viktor Orbán, von, Leyen, Peter Kreko, Kreko, Dorka Takacsy, ” Takacsy, ” It’s, Soros, Jean, Claude Juncker, ”, Orbán, Eric Mamer, ” Mamer Organizations: European Union, Ukraine, EU, Centre, Integration, Democracy, European, Kreko, Huxit, Fidesz, Orbán Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungary, American, Hungarian, Brussels, EU, Budapest, ”, European, Europe

His party more than doubled in size in parliament to tower over mainstream parties that long specialized in marginalizing him. Suddenly on Thursday, there was hope in the air again for nationalist conservative populists, especially with an European Parliament election coming up in June. Earlier, Slovakia had already turned populist with Robert Fico’s Smer party winning a general election and setting up a coalition government with an ultranationalist party. Wilders calls for a “Nexit” referendum — a Dutch version of Brexit which saw the United Kingdom leave the EU. By nature, Dutch politics rely on coalitions between several parties and no other suitable party has followed Wilders on that.

Persons: Geert Wilders, firebrand Wilders, “, Alice Weidel, Wilders, Robert Fico’s Smer, Viktor Orbán, behemoth, Le Pen, ”, Hendrik Vos, Vos, Matteo Salvini Organizations: Party for Freedom, Law, European Union, EU, France, Inter, Ghent University, League Locations: BRUSSELS, Europe, Poland, Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungarian, France, United Kingdom, Italian, Italy

[1/2] Supporters of Dutch far-right politician and leader of the PVV party Geert Wilders react to the exit poll and early results in the Dutch parliamentary elections, in The Hague, Netherlands November 22, 2023. The historic election victory that the PVV achieved on Wednesday exceeded all expectations," Dutch center-right daily NRC said. Congratulations to Geert Wilders on winning the Dutch elections," Orban said late on Wednesday. CONCERNIslamic and Moroccan organisations expressed concerns about Wilders' victory. "The distress and fear are enormous," Habib el Kaddouri, who heads an organisation representing Dutch Moroccans, told Dutch news agency ANP.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Yves Herman Acquire, Viktor Orban, Wilders, Mark Rutte, Pieter Omtzigt, Robert Fico, Giorgia, Orban, Pen, Rutte's, Habib el Kaddouri, party's Omtzigt, Dilan Yesilgoz, wouldn't, Bart Meijer, Charlotte van Campenhout, Anthony Deutsch, Ingrid Melander Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hungary's, Freedom Party, Labour, Green, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, NRC, VVD, Dutch, ANP, Thomson Locations: Dutch, The Hague, Netherlands, EU, Europe, Ukraine, Hague, Slovakia, Italy, France, Moroccan

☆ EU executive approves 900 mln euros in funds for Hungary
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

EU support is crucial to Ukraine, which has been struggling to push back a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022. EU officials said Hungary's amended recovery plan is worth a total of 10.4 billion euros over several years - or about 5% of Hungary's 2023 GDP - including 4.6 billion euros under RePowerEU: 0.7 billion euros in grants and 3.9 billion in loans. EU officials said Hungary would use the RePowerEU money to modernise its electricity sector through smart metres and digitalisation of energy companies. EU officials expected two payments of around 460 million euros each to follow next year. EU officials told Reuters last month that the bloc was considering unlocking aid for Hungary to win Budapest's support for Ukraine.

Persons: Laszlo Balogh, Viktor Orban, Orban, Gabriela Baczynska, Toby Chopra Organizations: Hungarian, European Union, National Bank of Hungary, REUTERS, Ukraine EU, European Commission, Ukraine, Kyiv, Fidesz, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Budapest, Hungary, Ukraine, BRUSSELS, Brussels, Russia, EU, Moscow

☆ Far-Right's Wilders Seeks to Form Dutch Govt After Shock Election Win
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The historic election victory that the PVV achieved on Wednesday exceeded all expectations," Dutch center-right daily NRC said. Wilders' win comes two months after the return to power of the equally anti-EU populist Robert Fico in Slovakia, who has pledged to halt military aid to Ukraine and cut immigration. Last year, Italy formed its most right-wing government since World War Two after the election victory of Giorgia Meloni. CONCERNIslamic and Moroccan organisations expressed concerns about Wilders' victory. "The distress and fear are enormous," Habib el Kaddouri, who heads an organisation representing Dutch Moroccans, told Dutch news agency ANP.

Persons: Bart H, Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Ingrid Melander AMSTERDAM, Geert Wilders, Viktor Orban, Wilders, Mark Rutte, Pieter Omtzigt, Robert Fico, Giorgia, Orban, Pen, Rutte's, Habib el Kaddouri, party's Omtzigt, Dilan Yesilgoz, wouldn't, Bart Meijer, Charlotte van Campenhout, Anthony Deutsch, Ingrid Melander Organizations: Hungary's, Freedom Party, Labour, Green, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, NRC, VVD, Dutch, ANP Locations: EU, Netherlands, Europe, Ukraine, Hague, Slovakia, Italy, France, Moroccan

☆ Stocks maintain November reign, oil nagged by OPEC doubts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, November 22, 2023. Traders were getting their moves in despite the annual U.S. Thanksgiving holiday scything volumes but there was plenty to keep them busy while they did it. Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) is nearing a fresh high for 2023 and both it and MSCI's all-country world index (.MIWD00000PUS) are both up more than 8% this month alone. For the MSCI world index, that is the best showing since November 2020 when COVID-19 vaccine hopes were driving markets wild. Reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by Christina Fincher and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Robert Alster, Viktor Orban, Wilders, Mark Rutte, Tayyip Erdogan, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Changpeng Zhao, Marc Jones, Christina Fincher, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, PMI, ECB, Oil, OPEC, Traders, Asset Management, Freedom Party, Labour, Green, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, European, U.S, HK, Reuters, Europe, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Europe, U.S, European, France, Holland, Ukraine, Asia, Pacific, Japan, COVID, Brent, Bitcoin

Wilders' win sent a warning shot to mainstream parties across Europe ahead of European Parliament elections next June, which will likely be fought on the same issues as the Dutch election: immigration, cost of living and climate change. A fan of former U.S. President Donald Trump and Hungary's eurosceptic Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Wilders is openly anti-Islam, and anti-EU and said "the Netherlands will be returned to the Dutch." "I would be very happy to become the Dutch prime minister, of course," Wilders told party members who welcomed him with champagne and cake, adding that he was willing to negotiate. "But the first thing is a significant restriction on asylum and immigration," Wilders said. "The high level of support for anti-European forces in the Netherlands is bitter," Germany's EU Minister Anna Luehrmann said.

Persons: Wilders, eurosceptics, Geert Wilders, We've, Herman Borcher, Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, Mark Rutte, Yves Herman Acquire, Rene Cuperus, It's, Cuperus, Anna Luehrmann, Muhsin Koktas, Bart Meijer, Charlotte van Campenhout, Anthony Deutsch, Johnny Cotton, Toby Sterling, Petra Wischgoll, Alvise Armellini, Dominique Vidalon, Sudip Kar, Ingrid Melander, Bernadette Baum, Toby Chopra Organizations: Freedom Party, Labour, Green, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, Coalition, REUTERS, Statistics, Clingendael Institute, EU, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Europe, AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Enschede, The Hague, Statistics Netherlands, Ukraine, Moroccan, Amsterdam

☆ Geert Wilders: A ‘Trump moment’ in the Netherlands shows that Europe still has a populist problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The shock election results in the Netherlands have taken Europe by surprise, and left many onlookers unsure exactly what happens next. Far-right populist Geert Wilders and his Freedom Party (PVV) are now seeking to form a government after an unexpected win in Wednesday’s national vote. It would be very unusual for a party that comprehensively won the most seats to be locked out of government. Beyond those immediate concerns, there are questions as to what Wilders’ victory means for the direction of Dutch and European politics more broadly. Congratulations to Geert Wilders on winning the Dutch elections,” Hungarian PM Viktor Orban said late on Wednesday.

Persons: Geert Wilders, “, Donald, Trump, ” Catherine de Vries, Wilders, Mark Rutte, Robert Fico, Giorgia, Tiziana Fabi, Viktor Orban, Marine Le Pen, Carl Court, Emmanuel Macron, Le Pen, Giorgia Meloni, Nigel Farage, Farage Organizations: CNN, Freedom Party, Wednesday’s, Italy’s Bocconi University, European Union, Democracy Party, VVD, New, Labour, Green, Italy's, Albania's, Edi, Getty, –, EU, ”, Conservative, firebrand, Conservatives, Conservative Party Locations: Netherlands, Europe, Ukraine, Italy, Slovakia, Rome, AFP, EU, Brussels, ” Hungarian, France, United Kingdom

☆ Geert Wilders: the anti-Islam, anti-EU populist who could be next Dutch PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Charlotte Van Campenhout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Dutch far-right politician and leader of the PVV party, Geert Wilders speaks as he reacts to the exit poll and early results in the Dutch parliamentary elections, in The Hague, Netherlands November 22, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman Acquire Licensing RightsAMSTERDAM, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Geert Wilders, the Dutch populist whose anti-Islam comments have led to death threats, could become the next leader of the Netherlands following an election upset for his Freedom Party (PVV) on Wednesday. After 25 years in Dutch politics without holding office, Wilders was set to lead coalition government talks and has a good chance of becoming prime minister. Wilders' inflammatory views on Islam have prompted death threats and he has lived under heavy police protection for years. On a kids' TV program, Wilders last week said he enjoyed playing "Mario Kart" on his PlayStation and reading Donald Duck comics.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Yves Herman Acquire, Wilders, Frans Timmermans, Willem Post, Donald, Trump, Mohammad, Viktor Orban, Mario, Donald Duck, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Toby Sterling, Bart Meijer, Anthony Deutsch, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Freedom Party, Labour, Clingendael, PlayStation, Thomson Locations: The Hague, Netherlands, Dutch, Islam, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Hungarian, Ukraine

☆ Praise, fear after Dutch populist Wilders' election win
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dutch far-right politician and leader of the PVV party, Geert Wilders reacts to the exit poll and early results in the Dutch parliamentary elections, in The Hague, Netherlands November 22, 2023. Congratulations to Geert Wilders on winning the Dutch elections!" BELGIAN FAR-RIGHT LEADER TOM VAN GRIEKEN:"I would like to congratulate Geert Wilders on this victory. ITALIAN FAR-RIGHT LEADER MATTEO SALVINI:"Congratulations to our friend Geert Wilders, leader of the PVV and historic ally of the League, for this extraordinary electoral victory. CONSERVATIVE, PRO-BUSINESS VVD PARTY LEADER DILAN YESILGOZ:"It is up to Wilders to show he can form a majority.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Yves Herman Acquire, VIKTOR ORBAN, Geerts Wilders, TOM VAN, SANTIAGO ABASCAL, MATTEO SALVINI, HABIB, KADDOURI, Wilders, FRANS TIMMERMANS, DILAN YESILGOZ, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Bart Meijer, John Irish, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Freedom Party, MARINE, PEN, League, INTERNATIONAL, CONSERVATIVE, Thomson Locations: The Hague, Netherlands, EU, Europe, BELGIAN, Flanders, Paris

☆ Hungary's Ruling Party Submits Bill on 'Protecting National Sovereignty'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz party submitted a bill on "protecting national sovereignty" to parliament on Tuesday to defend against what it called undue political interference by foreign persons or groups. The bill would set up a separate authority to explore and monitor risks of political interference and recommend changes in regulations. It would also punish banned foreign financing for parties or groups running for election with up to three years in prison. "Hungary's sovereignty is impaired -- and it also carries a heightened risk to national security -- if political power gets into the hands of persons or organisations dependent on any foreign power, organisation or person," the bill said. Orban, who has a two-thirds majority in parliament that allows Fidesz to change any legislation, scored his fourth landslide victory in 2022.

Persons: Viktor Orban's, Orban, Ursula von der Leyen, Boldizsar Gyori, Josie Kao Organizations: European Union, Communist, Fidesz, EU, Ukraine Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungarian, Hungary

☆ Argentina's new far-right president Javier Milei winning is a triumph for Tucker Carlson
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tucker Carlson interviewed Javier Milei in September, boosting his candidacy. Milei is a far-right firebrand and showman, compared by some to Donald Trump. AdvertisementAfter the election of far-right outsider Javier Milei as Argentina's president Sunday, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson took a victory lap. Carlson posted a picture of himself posing with Milei, whose candidacy he boosted by interviewing him for his show on X in September. In the interview, Milei echoed the rhetoric of former US President Donald Trump, questioning the climate crisis, urging right-wingers to wage culture wars with liberals, and pledging to cut government spending to reduce Argentina's spiking inflation.

Persons: Tucker Carlson, Javier Milei, Milei, Donald Trump, Carlson's, —, Carlson, Bauer, Trump, Hungary's Viktor Orbán, Jair, he's, soulmates Trump, Benjamin Gedan Organizations: Service, Fox News, University of Alabama, Reuters Institute, Fox, Trump, Latin America, Wilson Center, Associated Press Locations: Argentina, Washington

☆ Hungary needs to change the EU, not leave it, Orban says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Orban again reiterated his government's opposition to starting talks with Ukraine about its accession to the EU. "Correcting the mistaken promise (by Brussels) to start talks (with Ukraine about EU membership) will also be our task, as Ukraine is light years away from the EU now," Orban said, adding that he would fight off attempts by the EU to settle migrants in Hungary. Ukraine, which applied to join the EU days after Russia's invasion in February 2022, sees membership as a top priority. The question of starting accession talks with the country will be on the agenda at an EU summit next month. With Hungary clambering out of an inflation crisis, nationalist Orban has this week started campaigning heavily for European parliamentary elections due next June.

Persons: Victor Orban, Johanna Geron, Viktor Orban, Orban, Krisztina, Kirsten Donovan, Mike Harrison Organizations: European Union, of, Caribbean, REUTERS, Rights, Fidesz, Ukraine, EU, Hungary, Thomson Locations: Caribbean States, Brussels, Belgium, Hungary, Europe, Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ Hungary's Orban seeks to stir support with survey questioning EU policies, Ukraine membership
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"A breakaway from the voter base has started (...) this campaign aims to stop that," Zoltan Novak, a political analyst at the Centre for Fair Political Analysis think tank said. Another survey by pollster Median also showed a 5 point decline in support for Fidesz between February and October. The questions in the survey portray the EU as favouring Ukraine over Hungary, one of its own members. Earlier this week, Orban said the bloc's strategy of sending money and military aid to Ukraine had failed, and that he opposed starting membership negotiations with Kyiv. His government has taken a different stance on Ukraine than the rest of the bloc, refraining from providing arms and criticising EU sanctions on Russia, although it has eventually backed all the sanctions so far.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Orban's, Orban, Zoltan Novak, Boldizsar, Mark Potter Organizations: European Union, Fidesz, pollster, EU, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, European, Ukraine, Hungary, Russia

☆ US Is 'Confident' Sweden Will Soon Join NATO - US Envoy to Hungary
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The United States is "confident" that Sweden will soon be a member of NATO, the U.S. ambassador to Hungary said on Thursday, adding he had been assured by the Hungarian government that Budapest would not be the last to ratify the bid. Relations between Budapest and Washington have soured because of Hungary's foot-dragging over the ratification of Sweden's NATO accession and also over Prime Minister Viktor Orban's warm ties with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine. "I have been repeatedly assured at the senior-most levels of this government that Hungary will not be last to ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO," Ambassador David Pressman said. Sweden's NATO membership is still pending ratification by Turkey and Hungary. Orban's Fidesz was expected to submit the bill to parliament on Tuesday, but it has been delayed.

Persons: Viktor Orban's, David Pressman, Orban, Vladimir Putin's, Pressman, Putin, that's, Krisztina, Gareth Jones Organizations: NATO, Fidesz Locations: BUDAPEST, United States, Sweden, U.S, Hungary, Hungarian, Budapest, Washington, Moscow, Ukraine, Turkey, Russia, Beijing

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