Viktor Orbán

Rule Changes

Left office May 9, 2026; leading Fidesz from the opposition bench

Since taking office on May 9, 2026, Péter Magyar has unlocked €16.4 billion in frozen EU funds, reversed Hungary's ICC withdrawal, and launched a constitutional overhaul to remove Fidesz-era officeholders. The European Commission said on July 17 that Hungary's rule of law had shown 'radical change,' with a senior official noting things had moved 'very, very quickly in the right direction.'

Updated Jul 19

Force in Play

Threatening to follow Slovakia in cutting electricity to Ukraine

For decades, Russian oil flowed west through the Druzhba pipeline and European electricity flowed east into Ukraine's war-battered grid. That exchange collapsed after a Russian drone strike knocked out the pipeline's main Ukrainian pumping station on January 27. Slovakia and Hungary, the last European Union members importing Russian crude through the pipeline, then escalated from halting diesel exports to threatening Ukraine's electricity supply.

Updated May 29

Rule Changes

Facing April 2026 election with opposition leading in polls

For decades, Hungary has relied almost entirely on Russia for nuclear fuel, natural gas, and oil—a dependency that persisted even as the rest of Europe scrambled to cut ties after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. On February 16, 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó signed an agreement. Hungary can now purchase up to 10 American-built small modular reactors worth as much as $20 billion and will start receiving Westinghouse fuel for its Paks I plant by 2028.

Updated May 29

Rule Changes

Secured one-year U.S. exemption for Russian energy in November 2025; continues resisting EU sanctions but EU overcame objections with energy assurances in January 2026

Sanctions are supposed to close doors. On December 17, the U.S. quietly propped two doors back open again, even as it slammed others shut. One narrow lane keeps Sakhalin-2 crude flowing to Japan; the other preserves financial channels for civil nuclear projects, even when payments touch sanctioned Russian banks—both running through June 18, 2026.

Updated May 15

Rule Changes

Opposing indefinite immobilisation and warning of legal damage to the EU

Russia's central bank sued Euroclear in Moscow on December 12, seeking €193.7 billion in damages. Six days later the plan that triggered the lawsuit—using frozen reserves to back Ukraine loans—collapsed at the European Council. Belgium refused the legal risk; the EU pivoted to a €90 billion conventional loan backed by its own budget instead.

Updated May 15

Rule Changes

Leads the EU’s most Russia‑friendly government; welcomes Babiš’s return

Andrej Babiš just pulled off the comeback everyone said was over. Four years after losing power and the 2021 presidential race to Petr Pavel, the billionaire populist was sworn in as Czech prime minister on December 9, 2025. He leads a majority coalition with the far-right SPD and the anti-green Motorists for Themselves party.

Updated May 10