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Hungary to leave ICC while hosting Netanyahu
Hungary has announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), becoming the first EU member state to take such a step. The announcement was made after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary to meet Viktor Orban. ICC issued a warrant for Netanyahu last year over alleged war crimes. The Hungarian PM dismissed the ruling, 444 reports.
In November, ICC judges found “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu had “criminal responsibility” for suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Israel-Gaza conflict. Netanyahu has condemned the decision as “antisemitic”. The ICC is the world’s only permanent court for prosecuting genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Hungary will now become the first EU country to leave it.
Speaking at a joint press conference on Thursday, Orbán claimed the court had been reduced to a “political instrument”, arguing the warrant for Netanyahu “clearly demonstrated” its bias. Netanyahu, in turn, praised Hungary’s “bold and principled” stance, branding the ICC a “corrupt organization” that democracies must resist. Hungary’s move underscores Orbán’s increasingly antagonistic stance towards multilateral institutions and the country's alignment with Israel.
Some European countries such as Germany have said they would not detain Netanyahu if he visited, others have signaled they would comply with the ICC’s arrest orders. Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, called Hungary’s decision “a bad day for international criminal law”.
Diplomats protest Orbán government targeting Budapest Pride
Twenty-two embassies in Hungary have issued a joint statement voicing concerns over new legislation adopted by Viktor Orbán’s government that restricts the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression — a move widely seen as targeting Budapest Pride.
The British Embassy led the coordinated move, posting the statement on X with signatures from Australia and several EU member states. The United States was absent from the protest.
The embassies reaffirmed their “commitment to respecting, protecting, and fulfilling the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics,” and pledged to continue opposing discrimination on those grounds.
Responding to the diplomatic protest, Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, dismissed the criticism, invoking national sovereignty. “I see that the shadow of Pressman's legacy still lingers,” he said, referring to the former US envoy. “We are a sovereign state. We have never accepted – and we will never accept – that outsiders try to tell us how to live.”
Vsquare: US sanctions have caught up with Antán Rogán, no sign of help from Trump
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán quietly stripped his most powerful minister and chief of staff, Antal Rogán, of oversight over key areas of government — including IT development, public procurement, and digital administration. No official explanation was offered.
Sources with ties to Fidesz suggest the move was driven not by internal politics, but by external pressure — specifically, US sanctions, Vsquare reports.
Rogán was sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act for alleged corruption during the final days of the Biden administration. Though the Hungarian government has never publicly confirmed this, sources say the sanctions made it impossible for US tech companies to work with any institution under Rogán’s control. One person familiar with the situation noted that no American firm or individual complying with US law would risk dealings with someone on the sanctions list.
While Orbán hoped a second Trump administration would lift the sanctions, the US administration has not taken any steps in this direction.
Germany prepares tough approach on Budapest
Germany’s new government is preparing to take a tougher stance against EU member states that erode democratic norms, with Hungary in sight, according to a leaked draft, Politico reports.
The agreement between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), calls for the European Union to apply existing mechanisms for defending the rule of law “much more consistently than before”. These include infringement proceedings, the suspension of EU funds, and even stripping countries of their voting rights in the Council of the EU — measures widely seen as aimed at Orbán’s government.
The draft agreement also shows a shift towards qualified majority voting in key areas of EU decision-making particularly in foreign policy, including sanctions. The move would weaken the ability of individual member states to veto EU actions, a tactic Hungary has used repeatedly.
If finalized, the new German government’s stance could mark a significant shift in how the EU handles democratic backsliding and could leave Orbán’s Hungary increasingly isolated in the bloc.