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Orban suggests US is "not strong enough"
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán voiced a rare criticism of US President Donald Trump during MCC Fest, where a participant asked him about the U.S. president’s statements about ending the war in Ukraine. “I thought that at least half, but rather three-quarters of 2025 would be peaceful,” Orbán said. “I thought that the American president would be sworn in in January, then there would be some pushing and shoving, and say, three months would pass, and then the roadmap for how the world would achieve peace would be revealed.” He added that Hungary’s 2025 budget was built around this assumption, but “that is not how things turned out.”
Orbán argued that Hungary’s economy has suffered due to the ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine. “It is obvious that as long as the war continues, the economic outlook will be completely different than when there is no war,” he said, referring to inflation. He said that the country still doesn’t have “a budget of peace” and added public opinion was “slowly but surely” shifting away from what he called a “liberal pro-war stance.” Orban stressed that available funds should be allocated to economic development rather than military aid.
The Hungarian prime minister blamed the United States and Trump for the lack of progress in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.. “I thought that the US president would be strong enough to get European leaders to the line, whether they liked it or not. But he wasn't strong enough,” Orbán said. "I don't see the Russians or the Ukrainians being the problem, because things have always been this way with them, but rather that the US president isn't strong enough to get European leaders on his side.” He said Trump had failed to shift Europe’s position. Orbán warned: “We can continue down this path for a few more months, but this path is just not viable. Or if it is passable, then there's a cliff at the end.”
Orbán meets Milorad Dodik in Budapest after the Bosnian leader's sentencing
Viktor Orbán hosted Milorad Dodik in Budapest on Tuesday, just days after Dodik was sentenced to one year in prison and banned from holding public office for six years for failing to comply with decisions by High Representative Christian Schmidt, 444 reports. While the visit went unmentioned by Hungarian state news agency MTI, Dodik posted about it on X, calling Orbán his “friend” and thanking him for supporting “the will of the people, democracy and sovereignty” against “the self-serving actions of the deep state.”
Orbán had already signaled the visit on Facebook on Monday and posted that Hungary does not recognize the ruling against Dodik. He called the EU's actions “unacceptable,” accusing its appointed representatives of trying to remove Dodik “because he is opposed to the globalist agenda.” Orbán reaffirmed that he considers Dodik the legitimate leader of Republika Srpska and rejects what he described as "EU interference". The two leaders last met in June, when Dodik was already facing charges.
Hungary requests EU military loan they previously opposed
Hungary plans to request €20 billion from the EU’s SAFE military procurement program, despite being the only member state that abstained from voting for it earlier this year, Hungarian online news site Telex reports. At a background briefing on Tuesday, Economy Minister Márton Nagy said the government would seek the funds in long-term loans, with a decision expected in November. The SAFE program, worth up to €150 billion, was designed to support joint military procurement among EU member states. Although joint applications are preferred, countries may apply individually.
Hungary’s abstention in May was due to a parliamentary resolution adopted in March, which opposed the EU borrowing framework behind SAFE. The resolution, backed by Fidesz-KDNP, Jobbik, Mi Hazánk, and several independents, cited “principled reservations about the European debt union.” Despite that stance, Hungary is now looking at SAFE’s foreign currency loans, which would be significantly cheaper than the high interest rates it currently pays on public debt. This mirrors Hungary’s previous move on the EU’s pandemic recovery fund.
Ukrainian authorities deny claims of inaction in József Sebestyén’s case
The Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) rejected Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó’s claim that Ukrainian authorities had refused to investigate the death of József Sebestyén, a Hungarian man from the Transcarpathia region who died shortly after being mobilized into the Ukrainian army, Telex reports. "The information published in several foreign media outlets claiming that there's no investigation into the death of József Sebestyén, a person of Hungarian ethnicity, is false and manipulative," the DBR wrote. The agency claims an investigation is ongoing on charges of abuse of authority by a military official. According to their statement, Sebestyén was declared fit for military service on June 14, checked himself into a psychiatric ward on June 19, and died in a health care facility on July 6. They added that “no injuries that would indicate that Sebestyén died a violent death” had been found, but the investigation remains open.
The DBR's version contradicts details shared by Sebestyén’s family and friends, and several questions remain unanswered. Hungarian pro-government outlets have reported that Sebestyén was beaten after being conscripted, and released videos showing him in pain, asking paramedics for help. The confusion was further fueled by Viktor Orbán posting a fake photo of Sebestyén.