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RFE/RL's Hungarian Service

RFE/RL’s Hungarian Service -- closed after the Cold War ended -- was relaunched on September 8, 2020, in response to the country’s steep decline in media freedom. It's an entirely digital service dedicated to serving the public interest by representing a diversity of views and providing reliable, unbiased reporting about the issues audiences care about most.

Also by RFE/RL's Hungarian Service

January 28, 2025
EU Renews Russia Sanctions After Assuring Hungary On Energy Matters

The European Union has renewed its wide-ranging sanctions against Russia after it overcame objections of the government of Moscow-friendly Hungarian leader Viktor Orban by providing assurances on energy-related issues.
January 15, 2025
Kallas Says Europe Should Increase Pressure On Moscow In Push To End War

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Kyiv and its partners should continue to apply pressure on Russia to improve Ukraine’s position in any eventual negotiations to end the war.
January 07, 2025
U.S. Imposes Sanctions On Senior Hungarian Official Over Alleged Corruption

The United States on January 7 announced sanctions on a senior Hungarian official who has a critical role in Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government for his alleged involvement in corruption.
January 04, 2025
Polish Farmers Protest EU Policies As Warsaw Assumes Bloc's Rotating Presidency

Polish farmers marched in central Warsaw on January 3 to voice their opposition to European Union policies toward imports from Ukraine ahead of a gala to mark Poland taking the rotating EU presidency.
December 26, 2024
2024 Was The Year Of Floods; Expect Climate Crisis To Continue

From Central Europe to the Caucusus to Central Asia and Afghanistan, 2024 saw extreme flooding across many of the countries in RFE/RL's region. We look back at the impact and ask Ayesha Tandon, a science journalist at the U.K.-based website Carbon Brief, what's causing the increased flooding.
December 21, 2024
Orban Says Higher NATO Defense Targets Would Cripple The Hungarian Economy

Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's recent reported proposal for NATO members states to increase their defense spending would cripple the Hungarian economy.
December 20, 2024
Poland Outraged Over Hungary's Decision To Shelter Politician Wanted On Corruption Charges

Poland has summoned Hungary's ambassador over Budapest's decision to grant political asylum to a Polish opposition politician who is wanted for alleged corruption during his tenure in Poland's previous government.
November 30, 2024
Trump Has Sought Orban's Take On Ukraine War, Sources Tell RFE/RL

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has held multiple phone conversations with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban since winning the November 5 presidential election, according to sources who spoke to RFE/RL’s Hungarian Service.
November 22, 2024
Bulgaria, Romania Step Closer To Schengen As Austria Drops Veto

Austria has dropped its long-standing veto to Bulgaria and Romania joining the passport free Schengen zone, opening the door to their accession next year.
November 22, 2024
Orban Invites Netanyahu To Hungary In Defiance Of ICC Arrest Mandate

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited his Israeli counterpart to visit Hungary, defying an arrest warrant for issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Benjamin Netanyahu that other European states say they will honor.
October 23, 2024
Orban Tells Hungarians To 'Resist' Brussels

Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned Hungarians on October 23 that they must "resist" the European Union, saying Brussels is trying to topple his government.
October 09, 2024
Orban, EU Officials Clash In European Parliament

Viktor Orban and European lawmakers have traded barbs in the European parliament, with the Hungarian prime minister urging the bloc to change while top EU officials chided Budapest for its Russia-friendly stance and backsliding on democracy.
October 08, 2024
Ahead Of EU Speech, Orban Says Current Ukraine Strategy 'Does Not Work'

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – who has been assailed by the West for his often Russian-friendly stance – suggested that Ukraine cannot win its war with Russia and pressed again for negotiations.
October 05, 2024
Opposition-Led Protests Demand End to Hungary's 'Propaganda Factory'

Thousands of Hungarians gathered in Budapest on October 5 to protest against what they called the “propaganda factory” run by authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s state television operation and to demand a free media in the Central European nation.
October 03, 2024
German Envoy To Hungary Summoned Over 'Trustworthiness' Comments

The Hungarian Foreign Ministry on October 3 summoned the German ambassador over comments she made about the Hungarian government and relations between Budapest and Berlin.
October 03, 2024
EU Sues Hungary Over Russian-Style Sovereignty-Defense Law

The European Commission on October 3 said it was suing Hungary at the European Court of Justice over the so-called Defense of Sovereignty, a piece of legislation that critics say mirrors a similar Russian move that aims to silence government opponents.
September 27, 2024
Orban Under Fire After Aide Says Hungary 'Probably' Wouldn't Have Resisted Russian Invasion

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has found himself in the eye of a rare domestic political storm after his closest aide triggered scathing criticism from Hungary's opposition for suggesting Budapest wouldn't have fought to repel a Russian invasion as Ukraine has.
September 21, 2024
Hungarian Man Paddles To Reach Flooded Home

The Danube is carrying a flood wave across Hungary. The river already reached its peak in Kismaros, a village north of Budapest, on September 20. RFE/RL traveled by boat with a local man to reach his flooded house and garden.
September 21, 2024
Did A Budapest-Based Company Make Pagers Used In Attack On Hezbollah?

A Budapest-based company that is alleged to have made the pagers used in the deadly attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon appears to have only one employee working from an empty office that offers a range of services but not pager manufacturing.
September 20, 2024
Swelling Danube Breaches Banks In Hungary

Days of heavy rain have wreaked havoc in Central Europe. The flood tide is expected to culminate in Hungary by September 21. The Danube River's water level is set to reach eight meters as it crosses the capital, Budapest.

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