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Orbán joins Twitter asking where his 'good friend' Donald Trump is
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban joined Twitter on October 10th gaining more than 65 thousand followers in two days. In one of his first tweets, he posed a question looking for the former US President: 'Where is my good friend, Donald Trump?'. The nationalist leader accompanied his tweet with a well-known gif from the movie Pulp Fiction. Trump was banned from the platform last year in January “due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” in the wake of the Capitol riot.
U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman replied to Orban's tweet saying: “While you look around for your friend, perhaps another friend to follow: the President of the United States, @POTUS… but as the Hungarian media might say: no pressure.”
Orban only follows 44 accounts - including Jair M. Bolsonaro, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Matteo Salvini, CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp, and American political commentator Tucker Carlson.
Hungary reaches deal with Russian energy giant Gazprom
Gazprom MJSC will allow Hungary to delay payments for natural gas, as Hungary's currency is trading at record lows and the country's budget is strained. The Central European country has negotiated a three-year delay on gas bills coming due in the next six months. According to the Economic Development Ministry, it could amount to 3.5 billion to 4.5 billion euros if gas prices reach 300 euros/ MWh.
Currently, billions of euros in EU funding are locked over rule of law concerns. Hungary is also one of the EU nations most reliant on Russian energy.
Orbán in Berlin: Only Trump can end the Ukraine war
Viktor Orbán spoke at a discussion panel in Berlin where he said only former US president Donald Trump could end the war in Ukraine. According to the Hungarian Prime Minister, President Joe Biden had gone "too far" when he called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal who "cannot remain in power".
“That would make it very hard for [Biden]to make peace,” Orbán said. “This is going to sound brutal, but hope for peace goes by the name of Donald Trump.” He also added that "only Americans can bring this war to an end."
The Hungarian Prime minister has expressed criticism of EU sanctions imposed on Moscow multiple times - even though he has voted with the rest of the EU on sanctions. Orbán received heat from Brussels for his close relationship with Putin.
During the panel, Orbán dismissed suggestions that he was on "Russia's side" in the war, saying that the Russian invasion was an "act of aggression". He added that the international community has failed to separate the conflict as it did in 2014.