Orban likens himself to a 'mouse' helping Russian 'lion' during phone call with Putin.

Leaked call transcript between Putin and Orban shows dynamics between the two leaders

Bloomberg News obtained a Hungarian government transcript of a call between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Russian President Vladimir Putin on 17 October, in which Orbán likened their relationship to that of a “mouse” ready to assist a Russian “lion”. According to the transcript, Orbán told Putin: “Yesterday our friendship rose to such a high level that I can help in any way … in any matter where I can be of assistance, I am at your service.” He was also said to have invoked one of Aesop’s fables, describing a mouse that repays a lion’s earlier mercy by freeing it from a hunter’s net, a remark that reportedly drew laughter from the Russian president.

Orbán, a right-wing populist who has sought to reshape Hungary into what he calls an “illiberal democracy”, is widely seen as the European Union’s most Moscow-friendly leader, prompting some critics to label him Putin’s Trojan horse. The reported exchange is likely to intensify scrutiny of his ties to the Kremlin, as questions have mounted in recent weeks when both the United States and Russia may be seeking to bolster him while he trails in the polls.

Hungary alleges a sabotage threat gas pipeline in Serbia right before elections

Serbia has said it discovered “explosives of devastating power” near a pipeline carrying Russian natural gas to Hungary and beyond, prompting Hungary’s leading opposition candidate to suggest a possible “false flag” operation aimed at influencing the country’s election. On Sunday, Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, said he had been informed by Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, of the find near an extension of the TurkStream pipeline, which transports Russian gas through the Balkans to central and eastern Europe. Orbán said an investigation was underway and that he had convened an emergency meeting of the defence council. The discovery comes one week before a pivotal parliamentary vote in which Orbán’s 16-year hold on power faces an unprecedented challenge from Péter Magyar, a former senior figure in the ruling Fidesz party.

The campaign has intensified in recent months: Orbán has warned that the war in Ukraine poses a grave threat to Hungary and cast himself as the best guarantor of security, while Magyar and his Tisza party have urged voters to focus on economic stagnation, strained public services, and corruption. Vučić said Serbian forces found two backpacks containing “two large packages of explosives with detonators” in the northern municipality of Kanjiža, a few hundred metres from the pipeline, describing it as a threat to critical infrastructure that could have endangered lives and caused significant damage. However, he declined to disclose details about their origin.

JD Vance endorses Orban after expressing concerns over foreign interference in Hungarian elections.

Five days before Hungarians head to the polls, US Vice President JD Vance has expressed his full endorsement of the Hungarian prime minister and expressed sharp criticism towards the European Union. Standing alongside Orbán in Budapest, Vance said he is shocked by the level of foreign interference in the Hungarian election campaign, right before he said he is “to help him in this campaign cycle”. Orbán’s challenger, Péter Magyar, is leading in most opinion polls, posing the most serious threat yet to a political career that has spanned nearly four decades and delivered four consecutive election victories since 2010.

The last-minute effort to bolster Orbán before the 12 April vote, Vance and his wife, Usha, travelled to Budapest in the first high-level US visit to Hungary in two decades. Vance said Orbán’s relationship with Donald Trump had ushered in a “new golden age” in bilateral ties. Magyar said his Tisza party welcomed Vance’s visit, adding that a future government under his leadership would view the United States as a key partner, both within NATO and economically.