The Hungarian government declared an “energy emergency,” citing the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia by the European Union as the primary reasons. Under the new system, there will be a ban on the export of fossil fuels and the system of government-imposed cap on household utility prices will be revamped. The government of […]

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was granted a near-total exemption from the European Union’s embargo on Russian oil. Although the premier hails it as a great victory achieved in Brussels, the exemption may only deepen the rift between the bloc and Hungary. EU leaders agreed this week to grant Hungary a near-total exemption from a […]

Hungary is opposing the European Union’s proposal for a gradual ban on Russian oil imports, with Budapest claiming the plan would be equivalent to dropping an A-bomb on the country’s economy. Meanwhile, tensions are on the rise within the bloc as a handful of dissenting member states are holding up action on a new package […]

"This evening’s discussion with PM Viktor Orban was helpful to clarify issues related to sanctions and energy security," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a short Twitter post after arriving in Hungary on Monday evening to meet the Hungarian prime minister. "We made progress, but further work is needed. I will convene […]

The Hungarian oil and gas company Mol is showing solidarity with the war-affected Ukrainian energy sector, and is providing equipment to support the continued and safe operation of the energy network, the group said in a statement on Saturday. Mol Group has also joined the initiative of the International Oil and Gas Producers' Association (IOGP) […]

The war in Ukraine has brought to the forefront one of Europe’s most pressing vulnerabilities: its reliance on Russian energy. Although European leaders have shown great resolve in their initial response to the war in Ukraine, the solution of weaning the continent off Russian energy dependence is not immediately clear or painless. A similarly pressing […]

The Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Section of the National Association of Hungarian Journalists (MÚOSZ) has recognized the Ukrainian Ambassador to Hungary, Ljubov Nepop with the ‘For Our Europe’ award. In his laudation at the award ceremony this Thursday, Hungary’s former EU commissioner (2004) and foreign minister (2009-10) Professor Péter Balázs highlighted that Ambassador Ljubov […]

More than ten thousand people arrived in Hungary from Ukraine on Monday, the National Police Headquarters (ORFK) told the state news agency MTI on Tuesday morning. 4,664 people entered Hungary on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border, while 5,510 of those entering through the Romanian-Hungarian border said they had arrived from Ukraine. Of those who entered, police issued […]

Following similar moves by several other countries, the Hungarian Embassy to Ukraine, which had temporarily been moved to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, is now operating again in the Ukranian capital, the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has announced. Security conditions are considered to be adequate, and "it makes sense for the […]

Early afternoon on Saturday, pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian solidarity demonstrations were organized roughly at the same time in the center of Budapest, not too far from each other. Organized by the Hungarian Ukrainian Cultural Association and the Unity Ukrainian Association, more than a thousand people arrived at Deák Square at 1 pm to protest against the […]

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent markets in the region into a whirlwind and pushed the Hungarian forint to a record low against the euro this week. The National Bank of Hungary said it would take the necessary measures to contain the impact of the Ukrainian conflict on financial markets. International market sentiment sank this week […]

The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in the European Union, is performing a delicate balancing act as Russian begins its invasion of Ukraine. While the government condemned the Russian military action and backed the sanctions proposed by the EU, Orbán made it clear that Hungary will stay out […]