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Hungarian PM flew on a private jet and was seen on a yacht
Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, and several senior aides are reported to have travelled on a private plane owned by one of his closest allies to the Croatian island, Brač, according to Hungarian investigative outlet Átlátszó.
Photographs published by Atlatszo show Orbán and his entourage at Budaörs Airport in Budapest before boarding the aircraft. The plane is registered to Mária Schmidt, a long-time ally of the prime minister. Fanni Kaminsky, who manages his Facebook page, Balázs Orbán, his political director, and János Máté, his press chief, accompanied the Hungarian leader. Orbán was also photographed scrolling on his phone on a luxurious yacht.
Orban has recently been seen travelling on budget airlines, a move widely interpreted as an effort to improve his public image.
Szijjártó to the Polish and Ukrainian foreign ministers: "Stop provoking us"
In response to the Thursday morning ban on Robert Brovdi, who has a Hungarian call sign, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha wrote the following under Péter Szijjártó's announcement on X, referring to the Russian missile attack on Kyiv:
"How shameless to post this after a brutal attack by the terrorist state of Russia. Péter, if the Russian gas pipeline is more important to you than the Ukrainian children Russia killed this morning, then this is moral decay. Hungary is on the wrong side of history. We’ll take mirror action."
Péter Szijjártó responded to this post late in the afternoon, saying, "This is not our war! We are not responsible for it, we did not launch it, we have not been participating in it. Stop provoking us, stop risking our energy security, and stop making efforts to drag us into your war!" Shortly afterwards, he clapped back at Radoslaw Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister who had invited Robert Brovdit to Poland. "Endangering Hungary’s energy security has nothing to do with the freedom of Ukraine!"
This is not the first heated verbal exchange between Szijjártó and Sikorski on X. A few days ago, when the Hungarian foreign minister also wrote about Ukrainian attacks against Hungarian energy sovereignty, Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski commented: "Péter, we are as much in solidarity with you as you are with us," he wrote. Szijjártó responded by saying that he would never make the mistake of thinking of the Poles when it comes to solidarity.
Erste Hungary asks for Budapest Pride reference to be removed from campaign
"Understanding and respecting Erste Bank Hungary's request, we will replace the parts that do not have the same meaning for all Hungarians and that could be better represented by other historical events," a spokesperson for Erste Group told Telex. The statement comes after Erste Bank published an advertisement that listed this year's Budapest Pride among major historical events, saying: "Europe was built on courage, solidarity and the ability to actively shape the future.:
Erste announced that the bank is sponsoring the European Alpbach Forum (EFA) this year, and that the short film generated by artificial intelligence was created for this Austrian event.
Erste Group made a promotional video using artificial intelligence, which is now being amended at Hungary's request. The video brings important moments in European history to life, from Joan of Arc riding into battle to the Prague Spring of 1968 and Marie Curie's discoveries in chemistry. The original video also featured several images of the Budapest Pride.
Several OTP bank branches in Kyiv were damaged in the Russian missile attack
The Ukrainian press reported that OTP's Kiev office was also damaged in Wednesday night's Russian air strike against Kiev.
According to the reports, the buildings housing Bank Kredit Dnyipro and OTP Bank's Kyiv office were damaged in a large-scale Russian attack on the capital. Bank Kredit Dnyipro reported on the events in a statement, in which it also announced that its branches, except the one at 32 Zhilanska Street in Kiev, remain open. OTP's office is located at 43 Zhilanska Street, approximately 300 meters away according to the map.
Ekonomichna Pravda reported that OTP Bank's central office was also damaged in the rocket attack, with windows broken. OTP Ukraine also reported the event on their social media. The bank also confirmed the reports to 444.