Free Republic

"The first-order, existential challenge to democracy in Eastern Europe is coming from leaders such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — once, incidentally, a recipient of a Soros scholarship — who mistake their substantial popular mandate for a free pass to crack down on dissenting voices. Under Orbán’s leadership, Hungary’s democratic bona fides have declined in recent years, according to Freedom House."

Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a high-profile meeting with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orbán, in Budapest. Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, has called Orbán his “comrade in this fight for the ideas of freedom,” and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni is Orbán’s “Christian sister.” Last year, Donald Trump hosted the Hungarian leader three times at Mar-a-Lago. How did this one country in Europe become a beacon for right-wing ideas—and leaders—around the world? Once upon a time, Hungary was the poster child of “regime change”—the peaceful transition from communism to democracy. The process was indeed peaceful. But was it...

At a gathering in Madrid, members of Europe’s far-right parties set aside any trepidation they might have about President Trump’s threats, and instead focused on a common enemy — the European Union. ...There was Marine Le Pen of France’s far-right National Rally; the Netherland’s populist, Geert Wilders; the leader of Italy’s League party, Matteo Salvini. All made clear that they shared Mr. Trump’s charge against what they see as “wokeism,” “gender theory,” and overweening environmentalism. For them, the American president had blown through the last barriers that had confined their parties to the political margins. The taboos had been toppled....

Europe's far-right political leaders have praised Donald Trump and said they wanted to "Make Europe Great Again" as they met in Madrid. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Italy's deputy premier Matteo Salvini, French National Rally party leader Marine Le Pen and Netherlands' PVV party founder Geert Wilders were among those at the gathering organised by Spanish far-right party, Vox. Referring to what he called "the Trump tornado", Mr Orban said the Republican candidate's victory in November's US presidential election and subsequent return to the White House had "changed the world in just a few weeks... yesterday we were heretics, today...

President Trump gets a thing or two done. In his first term in office, President Trump apparently thought he could operate as if the federal government were a corporation he headed as Chief Executive and Commander in Chief of the armed forces. He assumed those beneath him would give him honest counsel, would perform their assigned duties, and follow his directives. He learned otherwise. All the steps he took the first week after beginning his astonishing second term are those a wise CEO and commander in chief must take to do the job he promised and was elected to do....

Polish Prime Minister also said his Hungarian counterpart "is playing in Putin’s team"MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk threatened his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban with consequences if he vetoes the extension of sanctions against Russia. "If Prime Minister Viktor Orban really blocks European sanctions at a key moment for the war, it’ll be absolutely clear that in this big game for the security and future of Europe, he is playing in [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s team, not in ours. With all the consequences of this fact," he wrote on X. On January 24, Orban demanded that, ahead...

US President-elect Donald Trump has invited world leaders to his inauguration breaking with traditional US foreign policy where it is not customary for world leaders to attend the US President’s formal ascension ceremony to the Oval Office. Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping who is not attending but is likely to send a highly placed envoy which could either be Han Zheng, vice president and foreign minister Wang Yi. It is yet to be confirmed who shall attend. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be representing the Indian government. The Trump-Vance inaugural committee, which is organizing the swearing-in ceremony for...

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban said Friday he would invite Benjamin Netanyahu to visit his country and that he would guarantee that an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister would "not be observed." Orban's remarks stand in contrast to a long list of European leaders who promised to respect the court's decision. Ireland's prime minister Simon Harris said Friday that his country would be prepared to arrest the Israeli prime minister if he came to the country. “We support international courts and we apply their warrants,” Harris told national broadcaster RTE when asked if Netanyahu would...

EU member state threatens to provide train tickets for refugees to travel directly to Brussels, sparking a massive outcry. A defiant minister of the country says ‘If Brussels wants migrants, they will get them.’ Hungary has escalated its argument with the European Union about the appropriate amount of migrants to welcome. The debate has been going on for a while. Hungary would transfer migrants to Brussels, according to a minister of Viktor Orban’s, if the EU keeps pressuring Budapest to take in more asylum seekers. ‘If Brussels wants more migrants, they can have them’ At a news conference on Thursday,...

The Hungarian publication Demokrata.net reports that they wanted to kill Prime Minister Orban before flying to Moscow on July 5. His car was supposed to be blown up on the way to the airport. Journalists publish a conversation intercepted by Hungarian intelligence services. In it, two people speaking Ukrainian discuss the alleged bombing. The likely perpetrator is a Ukrainian refugee from Ternopil, who has been living in Hungary for the last two years.

Conservative Champion Viktor Orbán is a man with deep-rooted convictions and opinions. And he has the fortitude to express them in a very frank and direct way. So, today, the Hungarian Prime Minister takes on the rotating presidency of the European Union, an entity he once described as ‘the contemporary parody version of the Soviet Union’. He did it his own way – clashing with Brussels every step of the way on a host of issues. He rejected unchecked mass migration, the crippling ‘green policies’ and – of course – the blind backing of Ukraine in the war and the...

MOSCOW, July 5. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to discuss the situation in Ukraine. "I hope we will have the opportunity to exchange views on our bilateral relations in this difficult situation, and also, talk about the prospects for the biggest European crisis - I’m talking about Ukraine," the Russian leader said. Hungary currently holds the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union. On July 2, Orban visited Kiev where he met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelelnsky and suggested that Ukraine should announce a ceasefire. However, according to the Ukrainian presidential...

Explosions early Tuesday morning in the Kharkov (Kharkiv) area of Ukraine... 11 reported dead and dozens missing from two shipwrecks off the coast of southern Italy... The incoming NATO chief and outgoing Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, meeting Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Brussels... US Central Command striking four radar sites of the Houthi forces... The outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says China should face consequences. That's because Stoltenberg sees China... Israeli public broadcaster "Kan" reporting an intelligence document detailed plans for the brutal Hamas attack... Brush fires in Southern California... French politics a political leader who allied...

WASHINGTON — As Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for a parade of foreign dignitaries in recent weeks, some aides to President Joe Biden took notice — and umbrage — at what they saw as the former president playing pretender-in-chief. In less than two months, Trump has hosted Polish President Andrzej Duda, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and David Cameron, the former British prime minister who now serves as the U.K.’s foreign secretary. He’s also talked with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and others by phone. It’s not unusual for a party...

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has promised a new package of laws in response to a child sexual abuse scandal that has shocked the nation. Mass protests were held after it was revealed that a former official, convicted of covering up sexual crimes at a state-run children's home, had been granted clemency. Mr Orban said there was no room for clemency in child abuse cases. There have been several resignations over the controversial pardon. President Katalin Novak, who granted the pardon, and two senior figures in Mr Orban's ruling Fidesz party stepped down last week. -snip- His government has made...

The Turkish member of parliament who collapsed after he attacked Israel's warfare in Gaza and the Turkish government's continued trade with Israel died today... "that vote...just threw away the Fourth Amendment to our Constitution" Congressman Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky)...147 Republicans including US House Speaker Mike Johnson supporting the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act today... The members of the European Union agreed tonight to start talks with Moldova and Ukraine about membership. Before the vote Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban left the room while the 26 other nations held a vote... The US Central Command says that Houthi-Yemeni forces launched a ballistic missile...

Ukraine's security service said on Saturday it had prevented former president Petro Poroshenko from leaving the country on grounds that Russia planned to exploit a planned meeting with Hungary's prime minister to hurt Ukrainian interests. Poroshenko's political party, European Solidarity, said the former president had scheduled only meetings in Poland and the United States and warned the SBU security service against becoming involved in politics. The SBU said he had planned to meet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who maintains ties with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and opposes opening talks on European Union membership with Ukraine.

"We made a tolerance offer to Brussels: every country can deal with #migration the way they want to, but they cannot force #Hungary to copy the failed migration policies of Western Europe. We don’t want #terrorism, gang wars and mini Gazas in Budapest!" Viktor Orban Twitter

Florida bracing for the effects of Hurricane Idalia... Russia's Black Sea Fleet repelling a drone attack early Wednesday morning... Tonight a drone attack on an airport in northwestern Russia near the border with Estonia. A fire involving IL-76 transport planes... Tonight Russia says that it's naval air force took out four assault boats... "There are certain things become more important than me, my ego. Family, Nation, God...Those words from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban... Syria's Ministry of Transport says the airport in Aleppo is operational again... US politics Steve Scalise the second ranking Republican leader in the US House... On...

The Democrats in the United States should focus on their own country instead of trying to impose their leftist ideology on the rest of the world, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said. Speaking with the Bloomberg news agency in an interview at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha this week, Hungary’s populist-nationalist leader stressed the importance for countries such as the United States to respect the cultural identity of others, particularly for the left-wing Democrat party, which despite professing tolerance as a virtue seems to often struggle to embody it themselves. “I would say that the American Democrats are far...