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Orban talks Ukraine 'peace plan' in Brussels
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was asked about European policy and the peace plan in Brussels. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was also invited to the EU summit where Orban was asked if he would present the peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The Hungarian prime minister said it was already on the table.
Orban was asked whether he would negotiate with the Ukrainian president, to which he replied that he is "always ready for a meaningful discussion."
Orbán said the peace plan is a "straightforward proposal, based on humane feeling". He said it would involve a ceasefire for a few days to avoid thousands of young people dying on the battlefield at Christmas. He also added that this would not be unprecedented in European history The Ukrainian foreign ministry commented on Orban's peace proposal, asking the Hungarian side to stop its "immoral manipulations and using peace and Christmas as an excuse".
Hungary grants asylum to Polish deputy ex-minister
Former Polish deputy justice minister Marcin Romanowski has been granted political asylum in Hungary. The move is compliant with both Hungarian and EU legal frameworks, according to Orban's chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás.
Gulyás linked Romanowski’s asylum request to the actions of Poland’s government under Prime Minister Donald Tusk, alleging that it has fostered a climate of legal and political overreach. “The Tusk administration has created conditions where Poland’s government flouts constitutional court rulings and weaponizes criminal law against political opponents,” Gulyás said.
Hungarian forint at an all-time low against the pound
The exchange rate has never been so weak, with the price asking more than 504 forints a pound on Thursday, Hungarian online news site Portfolió reports. The exchange rate peaked around 10 am and has not gone below HUF 503 since then.
The Hungarian currency is also weak against the euro -- it's at a two-year low of 415.
The reason behind the fall is that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) cut its base rate by 25 basis points on Wednesday and announced that next year it will cut interest rates by 2 percent instead of 4 percent.
Orbán holds talks with Trump and Elon Musk during Florida visit
Hungary's far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó traveled to Florida for a meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump. National security adviser Mike Waltzalso joined the talks, held at Trump’s lavish Mar-a-Lago estate.
Szijjártó later reflected on the meeting in a Facebook post, describing it as “a good afternoon, and "a long conversation with Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Mike Waltz.” Bertalan Havasi, Orbán’s press chief, confirmed to Hungarian news agency MTI that Gellért Jászai, the president of Hungary’s leading telecommunications company 4iG, also joined the discussions.
The last time Orban visited Trump was on March 9th, as part of an unusual tour with world leaders. During that visit, Orbán exclusively met with right-wing figures and lobbyists, bypassing representatives of the Biden administration.