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"You should get off the fence and condemn Russian aggression," Polish FM tells Orban
Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, has clashed with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán over his stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine. Orbán had posted on X declaring Hungary’s solidarity with Poland and calling the latest incursion “unacceptable,” but used the moment to reiterate that Hungary's "policy of calling for peace … is reasonable and rational,” adding: “Living in the shadow of a war is fraught with risks and dangers. It’s time to make it stop! To this end, we support the efforts of President Donald Trump aimed at achieving peace.”
Sikorski swiftly responded: “No, Victor. The incident proves you should get off the fence and condemn Russian aggression. We ask you to unblock the disbursement of EU funds for defence, approve tougher sanctions on the aggressor, and withdraw your veto on starting Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations.”
Orbán admits to using public funds to cover his private jet trips to soccer games
Viktor Orbán attended the Ireland–Hungary international soccer match in Dublin last Saturday at the invitation of Sándor Csányi, president of the Hungarian Soccer Federation (MLSZ). Orbán traveled to the Irish capital on Csányi's private jet, owned by OTP Bank. "The Hungarian state pays for my trip because I am going at the invitation of the MLSZ, and I believe the Hungarian government pays for this, I think, to the MLSZ," Orbán said in an interview with a Hungarian online outlet, Öt.hu, about his weekend trip.
The private jet, registered as HA-LKW, landed at Ferihegy Airport shortly after the match was called off, shortly before 12:30 a.m. on Sunday. After landing, Viktor Orbán, wearing a hat and carrying a backpack, got out of the plane and got into a minibus, Telex reported.
The prime minister recalled that there had previously been a major debate in parliament about whether it was appropriate for the prime minister to travel to soccer games with private jets. "A committee discussed it and decided that it was acceptable. So I do what I do with the approval of the Hungarian parliament," Orbán said.
Fidesz politicians use the shooting of Charlie Kirk to blame liberals
Hungarian government politicians have reacted to the killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot on Wednesday while speaking at a university event in Utah. Orbán’s political director, Balázs Orbán, was among the first to comment, posting on X: “May he rest in peace. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family in this time of grief.” Alexandra Szentkirályi, president of Fidesz in Budapest, described Kirk as “a young, 32-year-old father” who “became a victim of violence because of his political views,” adding: “Our thoughts are with his family, and we share in their grief.”
Senior government figures used Kirk’s death to highlight the alleged climate of hostility toward conservatives. Fidesz’s parliamentary group leader, Máté Kocsis, declared that “left-wing liberal aggression now has a fatality,” warning that anyone “who is a sovereignist, opposes immigration, defends the traditional family model, is conservative, and does not parrot what liberal propaganda wants to hear or what it allows” could be a target. The party’s communications director, István Hollik, called Kirk “a Christian who believed in dialogue and the power of argument,” while spokesperson Balázs Németh argued the killing showed “there is no such thing as incitement and hate speech without consequences.”
Tisza weakened and Fidesz strengthened according to new poll
Tisza Party has weakened by three percent, but still leads Fidesz, according to the latest Medián survey. The ruling party has gained two percentage points among the total population. According to the new report, Tisza stands at 37 percent and Fidesz at 30 percent.
However, among likely voters, Magyar's support has not changed (51 percent). In this category, Fidesz stands at 38 percent, which means a 13 percentage point difference. According to the analysis, this is partly because Fidesz voters are not as motivated as Tisza voters. However, the demographic breakdown shows that, compared to June, the ruling party has gained strength in villages and smaller towns, as well as among those with no more than eight years of primary education.
According to the latest date, no other party would make it into Parliament, with the far-right Mi Hazánk at 4 percent and left-wing DK at 2 percent.
The proportion of those who want a change of government has fallen from 62 to 60 percent, and slightly more people are betting on a Fidesz victory than three months ago.