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[1/5] Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks as he arrives for an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium December 10, 2020. Hours after he spoke, thousands rallied in Hungary's capital Budapest, a liberal stronghold that has largely opposed Orban's agenda. Some voiced fears that Hungary might end up leaving the EU under his rule, a prospect Orban has repeatedly dismissed. Brussels is only a bad contemporary parody," Orban said in a speech in the western town of Veszprem carried exclusively by public television. "Moscow was beyond repair, but Brussels and the EU can still be fixed," Orban said, adding that current leaders of the bloc failed to protect Europe's safety, freedom and wellbeing.

Persons: Viktor Orban, John Thys, Orban, Hungary's, " Orban, Vladimir Putin, Gabor Sebo, Gergely Szakacs, Ed Osmond, Ros Russell Organizations: Pro, EU, U.S, Wood & Company, Thomson Locations: Hungarian, Brussels, Belgium, Budapest, BUDAPEST, Hungary, Hungary's, Moscow, Veszprem, U.S, China, Ukraine, Europe, Russia, EU

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Prime Minister Viktor Orbán compared Hungary's membership in the European Union to more than four decades of Soviet occupation of his country during a speech on Monday commemorating the anniversary of Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet revolution. Yes, it happens that history repeats itself,” Orbán said at the event, from which all media were excluded except Hungary's state media. “We had to dance to the tune that Moscow whistled,” Orbán said of Hungary's days in the Eastern Bloc. On Monday, Orbán said that while the Soviet Union had been “hopeless,” he believed that governance in the EU could be reformed through an European Parliament election scheduled for June 2024. “Moscow was irreparable, but Brussels and the European Union can still be fixed,” he said.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, Orbán, ” Orbán, “, ”, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin Organizations: —, European Union, “, Soviet, Red Army, Eastern Bloc, NATO Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungary, Soviet, Veszprem, Brussels, Moscow, Hugnary's, Budapest, Ukraine, Beijing, United States, “ Hungary, Russia, Soviet Union, “ Moscow

☆ Russia's Gazprom to supply extra gas to Hungary and China this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Gazprom PAO FollowOct 22 (Reuters) - Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) will supply extra gas to Hungary through the coming winter and will also provide China with an additional 600 million cubic metres this year on top of contractual obligations, TASS news agency quoted its boss Alexei Miller as saying. Orban told Putin when they met in Beijing on Tuesday that Hungary never wanted to oppose Russia and was trying to salvage bilateral contacts. "And we have an agreement that we will supply additional volumes on an ongoing basis in the coming winter", he said. "We regularly supply additional volumes to the Chinese market. This year, I think (the extra amount) will be 600 million cubic meters of gas," he was quoted as saying.

Persons: Alexei Miller, Vladimir Putin, Miller, Viktor Orban, Orban, Putin, Gazprom's Miller, Mark Trevelyan, David Holmes Organizations: Gazprom PAO, Gazprom, Investigations, European Union, Putin, NATO, Ukraine, EU, Thomson Locations: Hungary, China, Russian, Europe, Ukraine, Baltic, Beijing, Russia, U.S

☆ U.S. says it is 'concerned' about Hungary's relationship with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Boldizsar Gyori | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sputnik/Grigory Sysoyev/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsBUDAPEST, Oct 20 (Reuters) - The United States is concerned about Hungary's relationship with Russia, and finds Prime Minister Viktor Orban's decision to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin "troubling", the U.S. Embassy in Budapest said on Friday. He is the only EU leader to attend the forum or to maintain close ties with Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. "The United States is concerned about Hungary’s relationship with Russia," U.S. Orban told Putin during their meeting in Beijing that Hungary never wanted to oppose Russia and was trying to salvage bilateral contacts. Relations between Budapest and Washington have soured in the past year because of Hungary's foot-dragging over the ratification of Sweden's NATO accession.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban, Grigory Sysoyev, Viktor Orban's, Orban, Putin, Hungary David Pressman, Pressman, Balazs Orban, Boldizsar Gyori, Alan Charlish, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hungarian, Forum, Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S, Embassy, Putin, NATO, Radio Free, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, United States, Russia, Budapest, Ukraine, Hungary, Sweden, Moscow, Washington, NATO

☆ China's Belt and Road Forum: What to know following Beijing's 'grand gathering'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Here are the main takeaways from China’s Belt and Road Forum. No doubt over Putin’s prominenceThe gathering left no question over who was the most important world leader in attendance in the eyes of China’s Xi. In his meeting with Putin, Xi hailed the China-Russia partnership as “a long-term commitment,” stressing “ever-lasting good neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation,” and alluding to their shared 4,300-kilometer border and mutual aims. Since then, skepticism about China’s global ambitions has risen in Europe, in particular over Beijing’s economic and diplomatic support for Moscow. “Obviously, competition should not mean working against each other but mutually improving each other,” he said, while touting the quantity of China’s global development projects.

Persons: Beijing CNN —, Xi, Vladimir Putin, –, Putin striding, Putin, ” Putin, Joe Biden’s, ”, Giuseppe Conte, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Kassym, Joko, General António Guterres, ” Guterres, Zhai Jun, Wang Yi, “ Organizations: Beijing CNN, Initiative, of, Italian, Beijing, United Nations, Hamas Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Ukraine, Russia, China’s, East, Gaza, Israel, Europe, US, Greece, Austria, Portugal, Czech Republic, Moscow, Italy, Africa, Asia, Latin America, Egypt

[1/5] Chinese President Xi Jinping greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as they attend the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), to mark the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, October 18, 2023. REUTERS/Edgar Su Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against decoupling from China as he opened the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) forum in Beijing on Wednesday, criticizing Western efforts to reduce dependence on the Chinese economy. The trade disruptions of the pandemic years have also added urgency to the desire to limit their dependence on China. WESTERN SCEPTICISMWestern scepticism of Xi's grand plans stems from suspicions over the way it would extend China's global influence, analysts say. Xi is making the Belt and Road smaller and greener, moving away from big-ticket projects like dams to high-tech ones such as digital finance and e-commerce platforms.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Edgar Su, Xi, Putin, BRI, Viktor Orban, Haji Nooruddin Azizi, Azizi, Xi's, Antoni Slodkowski, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Initiative, of, People, REUTERS, Rights, EU, Washington, Thomson Locations: Beijing, Rights BEIJING, China, Asia, Africa, Europe, Tiananmen, Taiwan, Western Europe, Afghanistan, Northern

☆ Estonia's Kallas Dismayed by Hungary's Orban Handshake With 'Criminal' Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

With great pomp, Viktor Orban and Putin held talks in China on Tuesday. Broadcast on Russian television, Orban told Putin that he had never wanted to oppose Moscow and is trying to salvage bilateral contacts. "It was very, very unpleasant to see that," Kallas, one of Ukraine's staunchest defenders, told Reuters in an interview in Paris. At least 2,600 Hungarians and 600 Soviet troops were killed in the fighting. This is the reality, but it doesn't mean that we should lose our interest in these areas," Kallas said.

Persons: John Irish PARIS, Vladimir Putin, Kaja Kallas, Viktor Orban, Putin, Orban, Ukraine's, Kallas, Emmanuel Macron, he's, John Irish, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Union, Ukraine, Reuters, Criminal Court, ICC, Republicans, Hamas Locations: Moscow, Estonian, Hungary, Russia, China, Paris, Ukraine, Soviet, Kyiv, U.S, Israel, Nagorno, Karabakh, Western Balkans, Middle East

[1/5] Chinese President Xi Jinping greets Russian President Vladimir Putin as they attend the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF), to mark the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, October 18, 2023. Putin and other foreign leaders sat with key Chinese officials from the 25-member Politburo on the front row, as Xi delivered his opening speech. The forum centres on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a grand plan launched by Xi in 2013, that envisioned building global infrastructure and energy networks connecting Asia with Africa and Europe through overland and maritime routes. Western scepticism of Xi's grand plans stems from suspicions over the way it would extend China's global influence, analysts say. Xi is pushing to make the Belt and Road smaller and greener, moving away from big-ticket projects like dams to high-tech ones such as digital finance and e-commerce platforms.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Edgar Su, Xi, Putin, BRI, Viktor Orban, Haji Nooruddin Azizi, Antoni Slodkowski, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Initiative, of, People, REUTERS, Rights, Forum, EU, Washington, Thomson Locations: Beijing, Rights BEIJING, Tiananmen, Asia, Africa, Europe, China, Western Europe, United States, Ukraine

☆ Putin meets 'dear friend' Xi in Beijing. Here are the top 3 takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Sergei Savostyanov | Afp | Getty ImagesChina President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were all smiles when they met in Beijing. "Dear friend, I am very glad to see you again," Putin said in a statement ahead of his bilateral meeting with Xi Wednesday. Xi is also looking to Putin as China seeks to reinvigorate its economic foreign policy program. watch nowPutin traveled to Beijing, knowing Xi would guarantee his safety. Here are the main takeaways from the meeting, which underline why China and Russia share strong ties.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Sergei Savostyanov, Putin, Xi, AidData, Mary, Srettha Thavisin, Viktor Orban, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Wang Yi, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Biden, it's, Peng Liyuan Organizations: Sputnik, Forum, Afp, Getty Images China, Initiative, Xi, College of William, Moscow, European Union, EU, Rosneft, Gazprom, Tass, Soviet Union, Hamas, U.S, United, of, U.S . Department of Commerce, Getty Locations: Beijing, Ukraine, China, Russia, Thailand, Hungary, Israel, Gaza, Iran, United Nations, Saudi Arabia, Europe, U.S

☆ Putin and Orban reaffirm Russian-Hungarian ties amid international strains
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a meeting ahead of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 17, 2023. Sputnik/Grigory Sysoyev/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his closest ally among European Union leaders, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to bilateral ties amid international tensions over the war in Ukraine. The men met in the government guest house where Putin was staying before the start of an international forum on China's Belt and Road Initiative. One of these countries is Hungary,” Putin told Orban. In an emailed response to Reuters, Orban's press chief Bertalan Havasi said Orban and Putin had discussed gas and oil shipments and nuclear energy issues.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban, Grigory Sysoyev, Orban, Putin, ” Putin, Bertalan Havasi, Havasi, Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Hungarian, Forum, Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, European Union, Initiative, Kyiv, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Hungarian, Ukraine, Hungary, Russia, Brussels, Russian, Europe, Moscow, Budapest

[1/4] Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 16, 2023. Ten years on, the most senior EU leader expected to attend the third Belt and Road (BRI) Summit this week is Hungary's populist Viktor Orban, who will join guests including Russia's Vladimir Putin and a minister of the Afghan Taliban. Such Western doubts have coincided with Xi's assertive leadership and a deterioration in ties over trade, human rights, COVID-19 and Taiwan. Other analysts say economic slowdown both in China and globally, and rising commodity prices, have also cast a pall over the initiative. "It's not perfect, but it’s a process, and people are gradually realising it's so important: we need to build infrastructure.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Ken Ishii, Putin, Orban, Britain's, Viktor Orban, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Xi, Jinping, Matthew Erie, they've, Raffaello Pantucci, Ruby Osman, Tony Blair, Osman, Wang Huiyao, Wang, Joyce Zhou, Vineet Sachdev, Antoni Slodkowski, Don Durfee, Robert Birsel Organizations: Beijing Capital International Airport, Forum, REUTERS Acquire, Initiative, University of Oxford, Reuters, Washington, American Enterprise Institute, S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Tony, Tony Blair Institute for Global, Global Development Initiative, Monetary Fund, Sri, Center for, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Italy, Xi's, BEIJING, Western Europe, EU, Taiwan, United States, Ukraine, Erie, CHINA, America, Africa, Russia, Kazakhstan, Congo, Singapore, China's, Argentina, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Center for China

Partial results with two-thirds of the voting districts reporting their results also showed the opposition parties with a clear lead. The earlier results tend to come from rural areas and small towns, with large cities where opposition parties do better reporting their results later. The Ipsos poll showed that three centrist opposition parties that campaigned on a promise to reverse the illiberal drift of the government had together secured 249 seats in the 460-seat lower house of parliament, or Sejm, a clear majority. “No matter how you look at it, we won,” Law and Justice campaign manager Joachim Brudziński said Monday in an interview on RMF FM radio. Even if the opposition parties take power, they will face difficulties in putting forward their agenda.

Persons: Ipsos, Viktor Orbán, Robert Fico, “, Magdalena Chmieluk, ”, Douglas Wake, Jacek Kucharczyk, ” Kucharczyk, Mateusz Morawiecki, Joachim Brudziński, Andrzej Duda, Duda, haven't, Kamysz, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Elżbieta, Cezary Tomczyk, ” Tomczyk, Kucharczyk, Pietro De Cristofaro, Kwiyeon, Raf Casert Organizations: European Union, Law, Justice, Russia's, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Institute of Public Affairs, Associated Press, ”, RMF, Third Way, Civic Coalition, European, Third, EU Locations: WARSAW, Poland, Poland's, Ukraine, Wroclaw, EU, Brussels, Berlin, Hungary, Russia, Slovakia, Europe, Warsaw, Rome, Belarus

[1/4] Indonesian President Joko Widodo arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to attend the Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 16, 2023. Ten years on, the most senior EU leader expected to attend the third Belt and Road (BRI) Summit this week is Hungary's populist Viktor Orban, who will join guests including Russia's Vladimir Putin and a minister of the Afghan Taliban. Other analysts say economic slowdown both in China and globally, and rising commodity prices, have also cast a pall over the initiative. Wang Huiyao, president of the Center for China and Globalization think tank, said the BRI had "greatly pushed forward global awareness about the infrastructure deficit". "It's not perfect, but it’s a process, and people are gradually realising it's so important: we need to build infrastructure.

☆ Analysis: EUphoria! Poland election surprise spurs investor hope
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Donald Tusk, leader of the largest opposition grouping Civic Coalition (KO), delivers a speech after the exit poll results are announced in Warsaw, Poland, October 15, 2023. As Europe’s sixth-largest economy, a revitalised pro-EU attitude in Poland would be particularly welcome. The 66-year old Tusk and his pro-EU coalition allies may still have to wait weeks or even months though before getting a turn at forming a government. Duda has referred the issue at the heart of that row to a constitutional tribunal in Poland. The central bank though has slashed interest rates at its last two meetings as the election campaign burst into life.

Persons: Donald Tusk, Kacper, Poland's, Daniel Moreno, Mirabaud, PiS, Moreno, Hungary's Viktor Orban, Robert Fico, Tusk, Andrzej Duda, Duda, Viktor Szabo, Fitch, Szabo, Adam Glapinski, PiS ., Simon Quijano, Evans, Libby George, Karin Strohecker, Josie Kao Organizations: Civic Coalition, REUTERS, European Union, Law and Justice, European, EU, Brussels, PiS, Gemcorp, Ukraine, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Brussels, Europe, EU, Slovakia, Britain, London

☆ Slovakia's populist ex-PM Fico seals coalition deal for new government
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Jason Hovet | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SMER-SSD party leader Robert Fico arrives to the party's headquarters, after the country's early parliamentary elections, in Bratislava, Slovakia, October 1, 2023. REUTERS/Eva Kornikova/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 16 (Reuters) - Slovak former prime minister Robert Fico and his party signed a coalition deal on Monday to form a new government expected to go slow on cutting high deficits and reduce support to neighbour Ukraine. Fico said his priorities would include boosting living standards and a foreign policy consistent with Slovakia's EU and NATO membership - but focused on protecting national interests. Fico has a tense relationship with Caputova, whom he has called a U.S. puppet acting as U.S. financier and philanthropist George Soros' proxy. Reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague; editing by Alex Richardson, Mark Heinrich and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Robert Fico, Eva Kornikova, Viktor Orban, Zuzana Caputova, Fico, Caputova, George Soros, opposition's, Jason Hovet, Alex Richardson, Mark Heinrich, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Ukraine, Hungarian, Kyiv, Democracy, Slovak National Party, European Union, NATO, EU, Thomson Locations: Bratislava, Slovakia, Slovak, Ukraine, Fico, U.S, Poland, Prague

☆ Hungary to ban rallies supporting 'terrorist organisations' -PM Orban
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends the informal meeting of European heads of state or government, in Granada, Spain October 6, 2023. REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBUDAPEST, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Hungary will not allow any rallies supporting "terrorist organisations," Prime Minister Viktor Orban told public radio on Friday, adding that all Hungarian citizens should feel safe, regardless of their faith or origin. Hamas is designated a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States, European Union, Canada, Egypt and Japan. "It is shocking that there are sympathy rallies supporting the terrorists across Europe," Orban said, referencing the European fallout from the Hamas attack on Israel. "But we will not allow sympathy rallies supporting terrorist organisations as that would entail a terror threat to Hungarian citizens."

Persons: Viktor Orban, Juan Medina, Orban, Nationalist Orban, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Khaled Meshaal, " Orban, Gergely, Christina Fincher Organizations: Hungary's, REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, Israel, Hungarian Foreign Ministry, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Granada, Spain, Hungary, Israel, Gaza, United States, European Union, Canada, Egypt, Japan, Europe, Palestine, Budapest

☆ Poland's elections this weekend could mark a crossroad for EU solidarity — and Ukraine support
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The Leader of Civic Coalition Party, Donald Tusk delivers a speech during the Women for Elections Campaign rally on October 10, 2023 in Lodz, Poland. EU tiesLaw and Justice's leadership has seen Poland's relationship with the EU and its various institutions become increasingly strained. It resulted in Morawiecki saying last month that his country would no longer supply weapons to Ukraine as it was "now arming Poland." Poland's vote follows elections in neighbor Slovakia which saw populist former Prime Minister Robert Fico return to power. Hungary's firebrand rightwing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has persistently used inflammatory language regarding the EU, attacking it repeatedly on social media.

Persons: Donald Tusk, Omar Marques, Tusk, —, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Mateusz Morawiecki, Morawiecki, Robert Fico, Fico, Viktor Orbán Organizations: Civic Coalition Party, Women, Elections, Getty, European Union —, rightwing Law, Justice, Civic Coalition, European, Law, EU, Nurphoto, Consultancy Eurasia Group, Eurasia Group, Confederation, Ukraine, ING, U.S, NATO, rightwing, European Union Locations: Lodz, Poland, Ukraine, Krakow, Berlin, Brussels, Slovakia, Russia, rightwing, Hungary, Germany

☆ Slovakia's Fico strikes deal on coalition after election win
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Jan Lopatka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A Fico-led government would move Slovakia closer to Hungary at a time when the European Union and other Western countries have tried to keep unity on support for Ukraine. The memorandum did not specify any foreign policy details. He has not been specific on commercial supplies from the country's defence industry which include ammunition and heavy equipment makers. Prior to the election, also said he wanted to re-negotiate a defence cooperation treaty with Washington. Reporting by Jan Lopatka and Jason Hovet in Prague; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Robert Fico, Zuzana Caputova, Radovan Stoklasa, Fico, Viktor Orban, Jan Lopatka, Jason Hovet, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, EU's, Ukraine Coalition, Ukraine, Democracy, European Union, Justice, SNS, NATO, Washington, EU, Hungarian, Diplomats, Thomson Locations: Bratislava, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Slovak Republic, Prague

Italy is even going outside the EU to establish links with the United Kingdom to crack down on unwanted arrivals. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was blunt about how far Europe's leaders still are from reaching a consensus before they met in Granada, Spain. Orbán, who has pushed back against EU policy repeatedly and taken a hard-line approach against migration, said that he won't sign off on any deal at any point in the foreseeable future. He went as far as to compare the situation to being “legally raped” by Hungary's fellow EU members. “The agreement on migration, politically, it’s impossible — not today (or) generally speaking for the next years," Orbán said.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, Orbán, “, Mateusz Morawiecki, Ursula von der Leyen, ”, Roberta Metsola, ” Metsolas, Giorgia, Rishi Sunak, ___ Wilson, Raf Casert, Ciarán Giles, Colleen Barry, Vanessa Gera, Danica Kirka Organizations: European Union, EU, International Organization for Migration, Giorgia Meloni, della, The Times Locations: GRANADA, Spain, Brussels, Hungary, Poland, Italy, United Kingdom, Granada, Syria, Turkey, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Ukraine, Lampedusa, London, Africa, El Hierro, Senegal, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Warsaw

☆ Billions in frozen funds for Hungary on table as EU seeks Ukraine support
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I can't imagine Hungary agreeing without there first being a solution to the blocked funds," said the official. A second EU official confirmed there was a link between releasing funds to Hungary and EU plans requiring unanimity, including in the enlargement and budget talks. The Commission needs Hungary to lift its vetoes on a number of issues in return," said an EU diplomat. For Ukraine, which applied to join the EU just days after Russia's invasion in February 2022, the West's support is existential and EU membership is a major national goal. Speaking to the Hungarian parliament last week, he drew a line between supporting Ukraine and unlocking EU funds.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Orban, Gabriela Baczynska, Jan Strupczewski, Andrew Gray, Gareth Jones Organizations: Budapest, Ukraine, Hungary BRUSSELS, European, Kyiv, EU, Reuters, Financial, European Union, Thomson Locations: Hungary, Ukraine, Brussels, EU, European Union, Russia, Budapest, Krisztina

[1/2] SMER-SSD party leader Robert Fico arrives to the party's headquarters after the country's early parliamentary elections, in Bratislava, Slovakia, October 1, 2023. Caputova, a liberal who has a tense relationship with Fico, a three-time former prime minister, will first make a 2 p.m. statement on the election outcome. Fico and his SMER-SSD party won nearly 23% of the vote on Saturday, ahead of liberal challenger Progresivne Slovensko (Progressive Slovakia, PS) with 18%. HLAS, led by Fico's former colleague and prime minister Peter Pellegrini, could also support a potential PS-led coalition if negotiations with SMER fail. Fico's pledge, however, may have limited practical impact as analysts say Slovakia has already provided much of what it could spare.

Persons: Robert Fico, Radovan Stoklasa, Fico, Zuzana Caputova, Progresivne Slovensko, Fico's, Peter Pellegrini, Reuters Graphics Fico, Viktor Orban, Pellegrini, Jason Hovet, Jan Lopatka, Andrew Heavens, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Ukraine Won, Russian Slovak National Party, SNS, SMER, Reuters Graphics, European Union, Russia's, Hungarian, Law and Justice, Brussels, NATO, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Bratislava, Slovakia, Ukraine, Progressive Slovakia, SMER, Russian, Hungary, European, Russia, Europe, Slovak

☆ Opinion: The US Congress, Slovakian voters just threw Ukraine under the bus
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( David A. Andelman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

David A. Andelman CNNBoth appear to have thrown Ukraine and its war with Russia under the bus. Nationwide, Fico himself was the largest single vote-getter, while three of the top five are members of his anti-Ukraine party. They said they’re going to support Ukraine in a separate vote,” Biden said. Only 52% of French voters and 49% of German voters are in favor of offering EU membership to Ukraine. Quick action by Congress is needed to stem further erosion — or even the possible collapse — of determined support for Ukraine across the western democracies.

Persons: David A, CNN —, Vladimir Putin, Robert Fico, Fico, Michal Šimečka, Volodymyr Zelensky, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin —, Zelensky, Joe Biden, Republicans –, ” Biden, “, Viktor Orban, “ Guess, ” Orban, Tomas Benedikovic, ” Fico, Orban —, Mateusz Morawiecki, ” Poland’s, Donald Tusk, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Putin, Marine Le, Turkey, Hungary’s Orban, Slovakia’s Fico, waffling Organizations: CNN, French Legion of, The New York Times, CBS News, Russian, Russia, Nationwide, Ukraine Progresivne, Ukraine, United Nations General Assembly, Republicans, Putin, Slovak, Getty, European Union, NATO, Law, Justice Party, Polsat, European Council, Social Democratic, National Rally, Kremlin, Congress Locations: Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Fico, Washington, New York, Bratislava, Hungary, AFP, Luhansk, Poland, Europe, Germany, France, Sweden, United States

☆ Hungary plans to sell 'non-strategic assets' to buy Budapest Airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUDAPEST, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Hungary plans to sell non-strategic assets to partially finance its acquisition of Budapest airport, Economic Development Minister Marton Nagy told reporters on the sidelines of a business conference on Monday. He did not say which assets the government might sell. Since Prime Minister Viktor Orban took power in 2010, his government has boosted Hungarian ownership in the energy, banking, telecoms and media sectors. The government submitted a new formal bid for a majority stake in Budapest Airport last month, with talks underway with several airport operators, one of them in Qatar, to join as a minority partner. Reporting by Gergely Szakacs Writing by Boldizsar Gyori; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Marton Nagy, Viktor Orban, Gergely, Boldizsar Gyori, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Economic, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungary, Budapest, Qatar

BUDAPEST/PRAGUE, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Robert Fico's election win in Slovakia after he had campaigned to end military aid to Ukraine shows creeping discontent in Central Europe over the war with Russia, but analysts do not expect a major policy turn-around by Bratislava or Warsaw. Fico's victory in Saturday's election prompted concerns that his new government would see NATO-member Slovakia joining Hungary in challenging the European Union's consensus on support for Ukraine. However, analysts do not see a big policy switch regarding Ukraine in Slovakia and Poland. MODERATING EFFECTIn Slovakia, Fico's SMER-SSD party won the election with 23% of the vote. "The bigger challenges are not Slovakia, or Hungary but the U.S. election cycle and the impact that has on support for Ukraine."

Persons: Robert Fico's, Fico, Viktor Orban, Roger Hilton, Fico's, Peter Pellegrini, Samuel Abraham, Robert Fico, Zuzana Caputova, Radovan Stoklasa, Pellegrini, Abraham, legitimise, Orban, Mujtaba Rahman, Rahman, Krisztina, Jan Lopatka, Angus MacSwan Organizations: NATO, SNS, Republika, REUTERS, EU, Russia, Ukraine, Reuters, Eurasia, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, PRAGUE, Slovakia, Ukraine, Central Europe, Russia, Bratislava, Warsaw, Hungary, Russian Poland, Saturday's, Poland, GLOBSEC, SMER, Brussels, Budapest, Kyiv, Europe, Prague

☆ Slovakia's Fico: border checks with Hungary a priority for new government
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SMER-SSD party leader Robert Fico arrives to the party's headquarters, after the country's early parliamentary elections, in Bratislava, Slovakia, October 1, 2023. REUTERS/Eva Kornikova Acquire Licensing RightsBRATISLAVA, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Slovakia needs to restart border controls with Hungary to stem the flow of illegal migrants, election winner Robert Fico said on Sunday, flagging the issue as one of his potential government's first priorities. Fico campaigned strongly against illegal migration in the run-up to Saturday's election, criticising a caretaker government for not doing more and for not suspending Europe's Schengen "open border" rules. The three-time former prime minister said controls were needed all along Slovakia's border with Hungary. "One of the first decisions of the government must be an order renewing border controls with Hungary," Fico told a news conference.

Persons: Robert Fico, Eva Kornikova, Fico, Viktor Orban, Jan Lopatka, Jason Hovet, Michael Kahn 私 Organizations: REUTERS, Rights Locations: Bratislava, Slovakia, Rights BRATISLAVA, Hungary, Germany, Europe, East, Afghanistan, Serbia

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