PM Orbán: the Soros network lost the USA, ceasefire in Ukraine on the horizon
Maintaining a “strategic calm” in times of war is of crucial importance, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told public radio on Friday.
Christmas ceasefire important
Speaking from Brussels, the prime minister noted his recent proposal of a truce and a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war in the Russia-Ukraine conflict for the time of Orthodox Christmas.
Orbán said he had started the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union with a “peace mission” and “made another round” at the end of it: he visited the president-elect of the United States, had long talks with the Russian president and met the president of Türkiye, too.
Concerning his proposal for a ceasefire, Orbán said once there was no chance for “a great, overall peace agreement and the parties are not willing to agree on a long-standing ceasefire, there should at least be truce at Christmas … even at the time of the first world war the belligerents did agree that nobody should die in the front lines for at least a few days.” He dismissed possible counter arguments, suggesting that a few days would not be sufficient for the warring parties to reorganise their troops. He also added that once a ceasefire could be achieved for Christmas time, it would raise the opportunity of negotiating a longer truce later on.
Putin considers
Orbán said he had convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin to consider his proposal, while “the Ukrainians had more of a gut reaction” but “if they sit down and think it over, they could easily change their mind, which I think would be in their interest.”
Concerning remarks by Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, Orbán said “one must not be provoked … we need to treat that with magnanimity”. He said that Zelensky was “the leader of a country in trouble, with foreign troops on its territory.” Ukraine has lost many millions of people because they left the country, hundreds of thousands have died … the country is full of injured people, widows, orphaned children, its energy infrastructure is in ruins and it is not clear how the country will make a living in future,” Orbán said. “The leader of such a country may make furious remarks,” Orbán said.
While the situation on the front lines of the war “changes by the day to the benefit of Russia and to the detriment of Ukraine … changes are happening in Washington, the headquarters of Western civilisation,” Orbán said. He added that those changes “will be good” for the West. “We’ll have a more normal life than before,” he said.
People fed up with war, sanctions, inflation
“Those two new developments should make us Hungarians cautious; if such great changes are about to happen, it is not worth insisting that irrespective of the changes we’ll keep doing what we have been doing,” he said, adding, however, that “apart from us there is hardly anybody else in Brussels that would think so.”
European leaders “feel that the war must be brought to an end” and the need to create a lasting, predictable security system that would make it possible for economic growth to resume in Europe. Orbán said the people were “fed up with the wartime situation, inflation and sanctions”.
Despite this, he added, “this past week the opposite of all of this has happened in the European Parliament and the European Commission”. He said the EP’s biggest parties had formed a pact and “put it in writing that they will continue doing what they’ve been doing: supporting migration, gender and the war”.
“So it doesn’t bother them that the world outside the Brussels bubble is changing, they want to keep moving ahead,” he said, adding that this indicated that the biggest problems today were in Brussels.
Lots of American money invested in Ukraine
Meanwhile, Orbán said he had been informed during his talks in the US that Europe and America had so far spent a combined 310 billion euros on the war in Ukraine. “This is a huge amount which would have been sufficient to do wonders” such as closing the gap between the Western Balkans and Europe or facilitating such development in the Sahel region that could help prevent illegal migration. “Those funds could have been spent on investment projects supporting Europe’s security, weapons factories or on the European economy,” Orbán said.
Concerning plans to give Ukraine fast-track EU accession, Orbán said “all countries with a strong agriculture have given an instant, negative reaction”. If Ukraine joins the EU “without resolving the situation of people making a living from agriculture”, farmers could go bankrupt and Hungary would be in a difficult position “to save its agriculture”, he said, and warned against a “hasty, ill-advised and too fast” procedure. He also added that the parties in the Patriots for Europe group included representatives of countries with a strong farming sector such as France, Italy, Austria, Poland, and Hungary.
Orbán: the Soros “network” lost the USA
Orbán also said there were global networks that had serious influence on public life, politics and the economy in several countries. One of these, he said, was the “Soros network”, which had “lost the US as one of its two headquarters”.
“The liberal philosophy and world view, a mighty network and global power embodied by the Soros empire, is being pushed out of America, it only has Brussels on its hands … but it has a grip on Brussels and it will pull back here.”
He said the “key to the future” was the European parliamentary opposition Patriots’ gaining a majority in the foreseeable future, adding that “the question is if we can retake Brussels from George Soros”.
Von der Leyen is not a fan of the Hungarian government
Asked if Europe had become stronger or weaker during the Hungarian presidency, the prime minister said: “It’s still here.”
He said the Hungarian presidency had solved some problems that had gone unsolved for “years or even decades”, which had earned the presidency broad recognition.
Orbán said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — whom he said he would “not describe as a Hungary fan” — and several European leaders “who aren’t sympathetic to Hungary” had all acknowledged the work Hungary had put into the presidency.
Among the accomplishments of the Hungarian presidency, the prime minister noted the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the bloc’s passport-free Schengen area after a 13-year wait. “We have a shared destiny with the Romanians and the Bulgarians, though our relationship with the Romanians is colourful and contradictory, Hungary’s goal is not to hinder others, but to make sure we help each other,” the prime minister said.
Orbán also welcomed the progress made when it comes to the Western Balkan countries, highlighting the progress in the case of Serbia.
European politics, he said, had come closer to the real problems thanks to the Hungarian presidency.
The presidency may have restored some faith in the importance of performance and work, Orbán said.
The Hungarian presidency’s successes
“If we want European people to have a better life or to be able to protect the standard of living they have already achieved, then competitiveness must be improved,” he said, adding that the 27 EU member states have been able to reach an agreement on the most important issues on the path towards this.
“This means that we have a working plan, an action plan to restore competitiveness, which, as a result of our work, has been accepted by everyone,” Orbán said. “This is a common base from which we can begin to restore competitiveness,” he added.
Orbán said that these days work was “talking and communication”, and less attention was given to performance and what was actually happening.
He said Brussels had “lost touch with the reality we’re living in”. “It’s very hard to have an effect on reality with the language, legal system and political forms they use here,” he added.
Meanwhile, the prime minister said “a lot of work” had gone into drafting the 2025 budget, noting that the central bank will also have a new governor from March.
Government change
He hailed the work of György Matolcsy, the outgoing governor, noting his efforts to help hundreds of thousands of troubled forex debtors and his introduction of new elements in Hungarian economic policy.
He said that with Mihály Varga, the incumbent finance minister, replacing Matolcsy, the finance ministry will be merged into the national economy ministry, creating a new economic ministry headed by Márton Nagy.
“What’s most important is to get off to a flying start,” Orbán said, adding that the government’s aim was to be able to use the budget to enact measures as early as January that will allow families, employers, employees and SMEs to feel that “the war is over and we’re at the start of a time of peace”.
Orbán said families will be able to feel the impact of most of the measures as early as the beginning of January.
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Orbán cabinet: US investors queue up amid improving relations
US companies are open to making investments in Hungary that rival the size of Asian investments currently taking place in the country, building on the projected improvement in bilateral relations, Levente Magyar, a state secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said in Washington after winding up business talks in Florida.
In a statement sent to MTI, he said there could be opportunities for US investments worth many billions of dollars in Hungary.
Magyar said the negotiations showed that improving political relations was a prerequisite for the dynamic growth of economic ties. He said “there are investors waiting in line who are ready to bring very serious capital to Hungary once there is a US administration that will strive to improve relations”.
He noted that his talks on strengthening economic ties built on the fact that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with US President-elect Donald Trump in Palm Beach a week earlier. Related article – Orbán: ‘I trust after Donald Trump takes office, we will experience its beneficial effect.’
Among the people with whom Magyar met was the investor Tamás Péterffy.
US Ambassador criticisms
Meanwhile, the US ambassador David Presman to Hungary has strongly criticised the Hungarian government at an event over corruption, its close ties with Russia and China:
latest: How much do Hungarians trust Trump to end the Russia–Ukraine war? – New survey
New survey: How much do Hungarians trust Trump to end the Russia–Ukraine war?
Fully 77 percent of Hungarians thinks that president-elect Donald Trump stands a good chance of ending the war in Ukraine in 2025, a survey published by pro-government Századvég on Tuesday has shown.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese Presidenet Xi Jinping and Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee, in July, “with the aim of gauging the stance of the warring parties and promoting peace”, the think-tank said in connection with the survey, conducted with a sample of 1,000 people.
The “peace mission” had been harshly criticised by the Brussels elite, Századvég said.
“The survey shows that, unlike Brussels leadership, the Hungarian public backs Orbán’s efforts to hasten the end of the war,” the think-tank said.
Fully 68 percent of respondents agreed that Orbán promoted ending the war. “Thanks to the pro-peace stance of Hungary, 74 percent opposes the US government and certain EU member states shipping long-range missiles to Ukraine, it said.
Further, 77 percent of Hungarians considered there was a realistic chance that Trump would successfully end the conflict in 2025, it added. Fully 51 percent of respondents had a positive view of Trump, the survey showed.
Unarmed Ukraine against the Russians?
It is important to underline that the Hungarian government has been saying for years that Ukraine should not be given arms, which would have meant that Russia would have been crushing our eastern neighbour.
Even yesterday, the Hungarian Foreign Minister said that although the Russians were attacking, the Ukrainians should not be given weapons to defend themselves. Related article: Orbán cabinet did everything to stop Ukraine getting aided arms shipments, but failed – details here
Several analysts have recently said that Trump wants peace, but it may be in the US’s interest not to strengthen Russia by doing so. Yet, at the moment, aggressor Russia is attacking in force, and Ukraine still needs a lot of help to keep up the attacks. The idea of peace is also very different for Ukrainians, whose territories are occupied, and for other countries that are watching from the outside and whose territorial integrity is not at stake.
The results of the current public opinion poll show very clearly that the Hungarian government’s powerful communication has reached the electorate, and they have taken it on board.
As we wrote yesterday, the Budapest-Kyiv train service has been restored; details are HERE.
Deputy FM Magyar in Florida to negotiate with future Trump administration
Levente Magyar, a state secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has started business talks in Florida on strengthening economic ties between Hungary and the United States, building on the good ties with the incoming US administration.
Magyar said in a statement on Friday that the excellent ties between Hungary and the Trump administration could pave the way for new opportunities in the area of economic cooperation. On the basis of the talks, products and services could appear in Hungary that would benefit the whole economy, he added.
Among the people with whom Magyar met was the investor Tamás Péterffy.
Official: Age of sovereignty has arrived
2025 will usher in “a new age of sovereignty”, Balázs Orbán, the Prime Minister’s political director said, addressing the Budapest Global Dialogue conference on Friday. He said 2024 marked the end of an old era of an obsolete neoliberalism which had neither worked in the EU nor the US. Participating in a roundtable at the the conference organised by the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation, Orbán said the Western world was undergoing a shake-up and hopefully the biggest success of 2025 would be the end of the Russia-Ukraine war, “which has caused serious damage to the entire world”.
He said there was already “political momentum” to end the war thanks to new forces in the EU, the US, India and China. “We’re optimistic,” he said. “I think we can convince the warring parties to find a path to peace.” Commenting on the US elections, Orbán said the outcome was down to issues such as migration and law enforcement policy as well as the situation of the judiciary and “the stagnation of the economy”. He added that changes in America would positively affect the rest of the world, adding that a strong US, China and Europe, would have a stabilising effect.
Max Abrahms, a professor of political science at Northeastern University, said US foreign policy would discard liberal internationalism and become more transactional, adding that the US foreign policy would not be uniform but “differ from country to country and region to region”.
Austrian geopolitical strategist Velina Tchakarova said US-EU relations were likely to see a positive turn. “We have reached a crossroads”, she said, adding that the bloc would have to change its methods because Europe was now among the losers. The big question, she said, was how Europeans could solve security issues while meeting challenges related to industry and climate change.
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- Chinese edition of book on Hungarian strategy written by Balázs Orbán launched
Hungarian FM Szijjártó: Hungary, Turkiye outline ‘new strategic milestone’ in bilateral cooperation
Cooperation between Hungary and Turkiye is better and more mutually beneficial than ever, and the two countries have also outlined a new “milestone” target for the coming years, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said in Ankara on Thursday.
Hungary–Turkiye cooperation
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today as part of the Hungarian peace mission, “which is especially important as the only really successful attempt at mediation in the war in Ukraine in the past thousand days is connected to Turkiye,” Szijjártó said, according to a ministry statement.
“Hungary has stuck to the same stance for a thousand days. It has become certain that there is no solution on the battlefield, that a settlement is possible only at the negotiating table, and that we need a ceasefire and peace talks as soon as possible,” he said.
At the meeting, they welcomed the unprecedented heights of bilateral cooperation which, he said, benefited both countries.
Meanwhile, the two countries reached a “strategic milestone” this year, when Hungary became the first non-neighbouring country to which Turkiye exports natural gas, Szijjártó said, adding that Hungary has already bought 275 million cubic meters.
“Today, we agreed to maintain that cooperation, and Hungary will receive natural gas next year too,” he said.
Turkiye and Hungary have also outlined a new milestone, to be achieved in the coming years, he said. “An agreement was made under which the leading oil companies of Hungary and Turkiye, MOL and TPAO, will start a new strategic cooperation that will enable MOL to be involved in exploring and tap new oil fields in Turkiye and also open an opportunity to the Turkish oil company to enter the Hungarian market,” he said.
“This is the new strategic goal we must achieve in the coming years,” he said.
Meanwhile, bilateral trade has hit new records, he said. “Cooperation also extends to new sectors, with cooperation between banks and in railway construction also on the list.”
Regarding energy security, Szijjártó said Turkiye was an important contributor to securing Hungary’s natural gas supply.
“More than 7 billion cubic meters of gas has arrived in Hungary through the Turkish Stream pipeline via Turkiye. This is a good deal more than the total [deliveries] last year. This year has shown that the Turkish Stream pipeline is capable of delivering more than 20 million cubic meters a day, which is good news regarding the energy security of the coming period,” he said.
Turkiye and Hungary also agreed on coordinating the measures they will have to take due to the US’s decision to put Russia’s Gazprombank on the sanctions list, Szijjártó said.
“Cooperation between Hungary and Turkiye continues to be very beneficial … and in view of current processes and trends, we can say that next year, Hungary will profit from it even more; and so will Turkiye,” he said.
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American man found in Syrian prison after going missing in Budapest
An American man who went missing in Budapest earlier this year has been found in Syria after months of imprisonment. Travis Pete Timmerman, 29, was detained after entering Syria on a spiritual pilgrimage without permission and was discovered walking barefoot in Damascus following a mass release of detainees.
American man went missing in Budapest
As CNN reports, Travis Pete Timmerman, a 29-year-old man, was reported missing in June 2024. Hungarian police identified him in a bulletin as “Travis Pete Timmerman,” stating he was last seen at a church in Budapest‘s District 2, while a separate notice from the Missouri State Highway Patrol listed him as Pete Timmerman, with his last known contact occurring in Budapest on 2 June 2024. Timmerman previously worked for the Chicago-based Goldberg Law Group between 2020 and 2021, where Managing Partner Michael Goldberg described him as a “super nice guy” and “pretty smart.”
Missing man found in Syria
The missing American man, Travis Timmerman, has been found in Syria after months of imprisonment. Timmerman, who entered the country on a spiritual pilgrimage without permission, was detained in a Syrian prison after crossing the border from Lebanon. He was discovered walking barefoot in southern Damascus following a large-scale release of detainees this week, sparked by the overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad. Speaking to CBS News, the American man recounted his experience, describing the conditions as tolerable, though he was restricted in his movements. His cell door was reportedly broken open by armed men on Monday, prompting his escape with a group heading toward Jordan.
Repatriation in progress
The Syrian government has confirmed the American man’s release, and US officials are working to repatriate him. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated efforts are underway to bring Timmerman home but withheld specific details. The discovery comes amid ongoing searches for Austin Tice, an American journalist missing in Syria since 2012. The interim Syrian government reaffirmed its commitment to finding Tice, with officials stating that the search continues.
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FDA accepts submission for Hungarian pharmaceutical company Richter denosumab biosimilar
Hungarian pharmaceutical company Gedeon Richter and UK-based peer Hikma on Thursday announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted an application for Richter’s denosumab biosimilar candidate.
Richter application accepted by FDA
The candidate, RGB-14, comprises two biosimilar products referencing Prolia and Xgeva. Richter‘s denosumab is a human monoclonal antibody for the treatment of osteoporosis and fractures due to bone metastasis.
In December 2021, Hikma entered into an exclusive license agreement to commercialise denosumab in the US.
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Hungarian man sentenced to 7 years in prison in US for giving a couple fake virus and demanding money for antidote
Stefan Alexandru Barabas, a 38-year-old Romanian citizen of Hungarian descent, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in a shocking 2007 home invasion in Connecticut. Alongside three accomplices, Barabas broke into the home of philanthropist Anne Bass and her partner, painter Julian Lethbridge. Armed with knives and fake guns, the masked intruders tied up and blindfolded the couple before injecting them with a “fake virus”, a substance falsely claimed to be a lethal virus. They then demanded USD 8.5 million in exchange for the “antidote”.
Millions demanded for antidote for fake virus
When Bass and Lethbridge were unable to pay, the criminals forced them to drink a sleeping aid before fleeing in Bass’s car. It was later revealed that the injected substance was gentian violet, an antifungal medicine. Evidence linked the group to the crime, including DNA found in Bass’s stolen vehicle, The State reported.
Barabas evaded capture for years, marrying and moving to Hungary, but was finally arrested in 2022. His co-conspirators were previously sentenced: Emanuel Nicolescu received 20 years, Alexandru Nicolescu over 10 years, and Michael Kennedy four years.
The crime left lasting trauma for the victims, particularly Bass, who feared for her life during the ordeal. She passed away in 2020 and is remembered for her contributions to the arts and philanthropy.
Barabas’s sentencing brings closure to a case that lingered for nearly 17 years.
Read also:
- Irish man’s arrest in American woman’s murder case extended by three months
- Átlátszó: Sanctioned Belarusian businessman has been involved in shady deals in Hungary
Featured image: depositphotos.com
Hungarian PM Orbán: ‘I trust after Donald Trump takes office, we will experience its beneficial effect’
“I trust that on January 20, after Donald Trump takes office, we will experience its beneficial effect,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Tuesday in response to a question by the press.
Orbán meets Trump
Orbán said in a video posted on Facebook that he had held a meeting with Trump where he congratulated the president-elect. Talks will be held after Trump takes office, Orbán added.
He said that “these days when two people, two men, sit down to talk either in Europe or America, they can certainly not avoid having a word about peace and about war”.
Orbán said that because of very strict US legal regulations, “the US president is currently not in a position to have talks about a ceasefire”. However, he added that he trusted that on January 20, once Trump takes office, “we will experience its beneficial effect”.
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Orbán cabinet: Hungary-US political relations set to enter ‘golden age’
Hungarian-American political relations are set to enter a “golden age” with the election of Donald Trump as the next US president, and relations between Hungary and the US could be better than ever before, the foreign minister said on Tuesday.
Hungarian-American political relations to have a bright future
The ministry cited Péter Szijjártó telling a joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart in response to a question about his US visit on the previous day that they had held lengthy talks with President-elect Trump, designate National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and designate Co-Chair of the Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk lasting about three hours.
“Of course we also congratulated the president-elect because this was the first in-person meeting between the prime minister and the president-elect since the election,” he added.
“The prime minister and the president-elect maintained relations also during the time when Donald Trump was not the president, during the election campaign, and they have talked on the phone several times since,” Szijjártó said. “It is completely natural that they hold consultations regularly.”
Szijjártó said that what further increased the importance of the meeting was that as a result of the transformation of the global economy, digitalisation and AI could play crucial roles in determining a country’s future place in the global economy. Musk and the global empire of companies linked to him play a serious role in spreading new technology, he added.
Szijjártó also said that currently there was an opportunity for better than ever political relations to develop between Hungary and the US.
He added that it was important that until January 20, 2025, nobody in the US or Europe should make irresponsible decisions that could make it impossible to create peace and that would set off irreversible developments.
Considering that the war is still ongoing, the efforts of Hungary’s peace mission must be enhanced, he said. “Last week the prime minister visited the Holy Father. I was in Moscow, in Washington, and held meetings in Malta. Now we travelled to Florida with the prime minister and at least two more events will take place this week that form part of the peace mission, one tomorrow and another one the day after tomorrow,” he said.
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Irish man’s arrest in American woman’s murder case extended by three months
The arrest of a 37-year-old Irish man accused of murdering an American woman in Budapest has been extended until 10 March, amid ongoing investigations and disputed claims.
Irish man’s arrest extended
As 24.hu reports, the Metropolitan Court of Budapest has extended the arrest of a 37-year-old Irish man accused of murdering a 31-year-old American woman during an alleged sexual encounter in November. The court ruled to keep him in custody until 10 March while investigations continue. The American tourist, Mackenzie Michalski, was last seen in Budapest’s party district on 4 November, and her body was discovered a day later. The Irish man, a marketing executive who had recently moved to Hungary, killed Michalski during an allegedly consensual intimate act that turned fatal, according to his lawyer.
Police allege the Irish man attempted to conceal the crime, by cleaning his apartment, hiding the body in a wardrobe, and transporting it in a suitcase to a wooded area near Lake Balaton. Michalski’s parents, however, reject the claim of accidental death, asserting that the evidence points to deliberate murder. The suspect remains in custody on manslaughter charges, though the ruling is open to appeal, according to the Metropolitan Prosecutor’s Office.
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PM Orbán meets Trump, Musk in Florida
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met US President-elect Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, on Monday. Elon Musk and Michael Waltz also attended the meeting, the PM’s press chief said.
FM Szijjártó accompanied PM Orbán
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and 4iG chief executive Gellért Jászai was also present, Bertalan Havasi said.
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CNN: U.S. Supreme Court considers legal path for Holocaust survivors to reclaim stolen property in Hungary
The Supreme Court is weighing a pivotal case on whether Holocaust victims can sue Hungary in U.S. courts over property seized during World War II, sparking debate on sovereign immunity and the limits of international litigation.
Can the families sue Hungary?
As CNN reports, the Supreme Court has expressed scepticism over whether Holocaust victims and their families can sue Hungary in U.S. courts for property stolen during World War II. During a hearing on Tuesday, justices from across the ideological spectrum raised concerns that allowing such cases could open the floodgates to similar international litigation.
The case, which has been in contention for nearly 15 years, centres on whether an exception to the rule against suing foreign governments applies. The plaintiffs argue that Hungary seized their property during the Holocaust, later using the proceeds in U.S. transactions, thereby connecting the case to American jurisdiction. However, the justices appeared divided on the broader implications, with no clear consensus emerging from the session.
A labyrinth of questions and concerns
The Supreme Court deliberated on whether an exception to sovereign immunity permits Holocaust victims to sue Hungary in U.S. courts for property seized during World War II. Sovereign immunity typically protects nations from such lawsuits, but U.S. law includes an exception for cases involving expropriated property tied to the United States. The families argue that funds Hungary obtained from liquidating stolen property were partially spent in the U.S., warranting the exception. However, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh expressed scepticism, questioning the scope of the exception and raising concerns about foreign policy repercussions. Kavanaugh noted that no other nation allows such lawsuits, emphasising the potential international ramifications of the ruling.
Tracing funds through decades of transactions?
The Supreme Court exhibited reservations across ideological lines regarding the lawsuit by Holocaust victims against Hungary for expropriated property. Justice Sonia Sotomayor questioned the plausibility of tracing funds through decades of transactions, describing it as a “fiction.” Justices Elena Kagan and Samuel Alito expressed concerns about allowing foreign nations to evade scrutiny by commingling stolen assets with general funds, with Kagan warning it could create a “roadmap” for impunity.
Alito downplayed fears of reciprocal lawsuits against the U.S., while Justice Brett Kavanaugh raised concerns about exposure to historical claims. The case, Hungary v. Simon, originally filed in 2010 and previously reviewed by the Supreme Court, has returned following a federal appeals court ruling in favour of the families. A final decision is expected next year.
Read also:
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Featured image: depositphotos.com
VIDEO: Chuck Norris joins Hungarian charity drive Good to be Good
Hollywood star Chuck Norris has again joined the Hungarian public media’s annual charity drive dubbed “Good to be Good” with a donation, Duna TV said on Facebook showing a video message by the actor and his wife.
The 13th donation drive raises money for the construction of a hospice children care home run by the Hungarian Baptist Charity near Budapest. The construction is already under way but the project needs additional donations to be fully completed.
Norris this time has offered one of his signature cowboy hats for an auctione to be held in a public media programme on Dec 22. A Herendi porcelaine vase he has signed will also be listed among objects up for bidding.
He first joined the charity drive in 2021 offering a book he signed.
Other stars joining the programme before include Bud Spencer, Sarah Jessica Parker, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Patric Duffy and Lewis Hamilton.
Here is Norris’s message to the Hungarians:
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Infuriating: US university bans Olympic bronze medallist Dávid Betlehem and 5th Betti Fábián from training
Dávid Betlehem won bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in the men’s 10 km swimming marathon while his teammate, Kristóf Rasovszky, secured the gold medal for the Hungarian team. Everybody talked about a miracle, and Betlehem continued his career as an athlete and a freshman at North Carolina State University with his girlfriend, Olympic 5th Betti Fábián. However, the university did not support their swimming marathon training and, ultimately, even banned Betlehem and Fábián from training.
Dávid Betlehem and Betti Fábián stopped by American university
According to 444, Dávid Betlehem and Betti Fábián are to move home after a short stay in the USA as freshmen at the North Carolina State University. The university proudly presents both on its website, writing that Betlehem won bronze while Fábián finished 5th at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in the 10 km marathon swim. However, the institution did not support their training in that swimming stroke. Hungarian media did not report the university’s reasons.
444 wrote that the university would have supported their training in pool strokes and university competitions instead of world championships in the 10 km marathon. As a result, they decided to come home.
Interestingly, the university banned them from attending training on campus. Consequently, Betlehem could not prepare for the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest starting next Tuesday, so he will not compete.
They shared the following statement this morning:
“First of all, we’d like to thank the opportunity to NC State for including us to their great team. We really enjoyed our time there and we are truly grateful for being part of the family and, even more importantly, being treated as member of the NC State family. It was a tremendous experience for both of us, however, we had to recognise that with open water swimming in our focus, it’s better to return home and prepare for the coming challenges in Hungary as we did before the Olympics.
While taking this sad decision, we also ask everyone to accept this – and to avoid generating any conflicts as our story is about gaining experience, learning lessons and finding the way to give our best efforts. We learnt a lesson and acted accordingly.
We are sorry to leave NC State, and again, our hearts are filled with love when we remember of the past months spent there.”
She disinfected with pálinka after swimming in the Seine
As you may recall, Betti Fábián and her fellow swimmers were the first to swim in the Seine at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Before, authorities ran several tests concerning the water quality and found it acceptable only last minute. It went viral that Betti disinfected with pálinka, the traditional Hungarian spirit. Then she drank Coca-Cola. Even so, the 19-year-old swimmer became hospitalised after experiencing nausea and a fever.
We hope that both athletes will find their new homes to train, prepare for future competitions and make us all proud again.
Both swimmers were thankful for the opportunity to prepare in the Danube before the Paris Olympics. They mentioned that as a deciding factor in their success. The water quality of the river is already much better than that of the Seine. Consequently, the Danube could host several swimming competitions at a possible Budapest Olympics. There is a chance now for that since both the government and Mayor Karácsony seem to support the idea and many facilities are ready for the event, including the National Athletics Centre recently opened to the general public.
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Szijjártó in Washington: Hope for Ukraine peace hinges on US leadership transition
In the wake of the US presidential election, an end to the conflict in Ukraine seems closer than ever, even as the danger of escalation is the greatest yet as “the outgoing US administration is trying to make brokering peace after 20 January impossible”, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said in Washington, D.C., late on Wednesday.
According to a ministry statement, Péter Szijjártó met House Representative Mike Waltz, a Republican for Florida tapped to serve as national security advisor in the incoming administration headed by Donald Trump, and welcomed that the post would go to a member of the Congressional Hungarian-American Caucus.
Szijjártó said the “friendly talks” touched on geopolitical issues including the war in Ukraine. “It is no coincidence that the issue of the war in Ukraine, whether to end it or continue it, was one of the most important questions in the US presidential campaign, and while Donald Trump said clearly he wanted to end the war, Kamala Harris fought for continuing it.”
He said Hungary was “rooting for Donald Trump’s aim to conclude the war quickly to become reality”, and said that keeping channels of communication open was extremely important.
Regarding US-Hungarian relations, Szijjártó said “the fact that US Republicans and we Hungarian patriots have similar, and occasionally perfectly aligned, views on the most important issues of world politics” would be certain to give a stable foundation to a renewed relationship.
He pointed to the fight against illegal migration and the protection of borders and sovereignty as examples. “We want to base our policies on common sense, family is a priority for both administrations, and we both speak the language of peace.”
The most important “takeaway” of the talks with Waltz was that “we speak the language of peace and that the risk of escalation is as clear for the US as it is for us, in the neighbourhood of the war,” Szijjártó said.
At the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels earlier this week, the incumbent US Secretary of State had a “very different approach”, Szijjártó said. He lamented that 8 member states have yet to boost their defence spending to 2 percent of GDP. NATO also requires that 20 percent of that be ploughed into modernisation and new purchases; in Hungary, that ratio is at 48 percent. “That is one way we contribute to NATO’s strength,” he said.
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Hungary requests US exemption for Russian Gazprombank sanctions to secure gas payments
The Hungarian government has requested that United States authorities exempt Russia’s Gazprombank from sanctions to allow countries in the region to pay for their gas deliveries, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Brussels on Wednesday.
Fielding questions from journalists after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Szijjártó said that the United States’ chief diplomat had signalled a willingness for some form of consultations with allies on the sanctions affecting Gazprombank.
“It would have been better if this had happened before…but that’s how things turned out,” he added.
Szijjártó said the new sanctions on Gazprombank could cause serious difficulties for Hungary and two other NATO members, as well as for Serbia, as any stoppage in imports of Russian gas would threaten the security of their energy supplies.
“I have indicated to the American secretary of state that this is the kind of measure that could cause trouble for allies,” he added.
Szijjártó said the government had submitted a request to the relevant US authority on Tuesday asking for an exemption from the sanctions in the case of payments for gas deliveries. Such an exemption would not be without precedent, he added, noting that a number of Russian banks, mainly ones involved with the trade of Russian uranium, had received similar exemptions.
Szijjártó said he had consulted on the matter by phone with the energy ministers of Serbia, Slovakia and Türkiye, with whom coordinated steps would be taken.
Hungary ensures one-third of Ukraine’s imports of electricity and will continue to do so in future, too, he added.
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Solution to problems caused by US sanctions on Gazprombank close, says Hungarian minister
Solutions to manage the problems caused by US sanctions against Russia’s Gazprombank imposed by the United States have been adopted in three of four instances affecting Hungary, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto told lawmakers on Tuesday.
At the parliamentary hearing, opposition MEPs were mainly interested in why the Hungarian government is increasing its purchases of Russian energy and why it is not trying to replace its dependence on Russia with green energy instead. Several opposition members also asked whether the natural charging of battery power plants would pay off in Hungary in the long run. There was also criticism that foreign trade is negative, and according to the latest KSH data, the Hungarian economy is in massive recession.
Giving testimony before parliament’s economy committee, Szijjártó said the legal constructions devised to resolve the matter, reached at meetings in Moscow a day earlier, would ensure Hungary’s energy supply. Related article: Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov again received the Hungarian Foreign Minister in Moscow
He added that the sanctions had affected several European countries that made payments for their Russian energy through Gazprombank, and coordination among them was ongoing. Related article – Hungarian minister: We are working with the Russians on a solution to avoid US sanctions
He said those countries happen to be sympathisers of President-elect Donald Trump. He added that Russian banks that manage payments for uranium exports were granted exceptions to the sanctions.
He noted last year that the US was the biggest buyer of Russian uranium.
Szijjártó said Hungary rejected any initiative that attempted to muddle energy supply and economic cooperation with ideological or political matters. He added that, given the existing infrastructure, Hungary had not been made a better offer than that for its gas from Russia.
Szijjártó pointed to efforts to diversify Hungary’s energy supply, including the start of deliveries of Azeri and Turkish gas and talks on purchasing Qatari LNG for the period after 2027. He added that the European Commission had been unwilling to provide financial support for the infrastructure necessary to diversify the energy supply in the region.
Addressing electromobility, Szijjártó augured a rebound in demand for EVs after a temporary downturn and said EV industry investments that had been scrapped were in countries where they had not even started, while projects in Hungary were well underway.
He added that state support for such investments would have to be repaid, with interest, if conditions were not met.
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