Hungary Drops Veto of 90 Billion Euro Loan to Ukraine

(BUDAPEST, HUNGARY) – Hungary’s new government will move to amend the constitution and impose prime ministerial term limits, a direct effort to prevent the ousted Viktor Orban from returning to power. The move follows a parliamentary election on Sunday in which Peter Magyar’s Tisza party secured a two-thirds supermajority, ending Orban’s 16-year tenure.

Despite the defeat, Orban has vowed to remain politically active. “The work begins now. We will regroup and continue fighting for the Hungarian people,” he posted on social media. His party retains approximately 50 seats in parliament, making him the minority leader. Analysts note that Orban, 62, could attempt a political comeback in four years if he can obstruct or tarnish the reputation of the incoming prime minister.

To block such a scenario, Magyar’s party will use its constitutional supermajority to pass an amendment limiting prime ministers to two four-year terms, a total of eight years. The change would render Orban ineligible to run again. Meanwhile, outgoing officials are accused of destroying documents. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, described by Magyar as a collaborator with Russian interests, reportedly arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, alongside close colleagues, began shredding papers linked to sanctions against Russian entities. Russian hackers had infiltrated the ministry’s systems for an entire year, according to previous assessments.

The European Union has presented the incoming Hungarian leader with 27 conditions to unlock frozen EU funds. These include anti-corruption measures and the reversal of Orban-era policies that violated EU rules. Crucially, the conditions also cover a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine. Magyar has indicated he will not block the loan. “I was not prime minister in December. I was not there for the discussion or the debates. It would be inappropriate for me to block this 90 billion loan,” he said. He also stated: “Ukraine is the victim of this war. Everyone knows that. No one should tell Ukraine under what conditions it must enter peace or sign a peace treaty. We cannot ask any country to give up its territory. If they do, they would be considered traitors.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Magyar on his victory and pledged cooperation. “It is important when a constructive approach prevails. Ukraine has always sought good neighbourly relations with everyone in Europe and we are ready to advance our cooperation with Hungary,” Zelenskyy said.

Russia and the United States have refused to congratulate the new prime minister. The Kremlin, through spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, labelled Hungary an “unfriendly country” following the election result. Russian state media confirmed the decision. A prominent Russian opposition figure, Ilya Ponomarev, commented: “With a snap of a finger, the moment he lost the election, Orban instantly became unnecessary to his former friends. Trump did not say a single word about the crushing defeat of his favourite. In the Kremlin, they pivoted in midair and suddenly Orban was never really their friend.”

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose positions have often aligned with Orban’s, issued a cautious statement. “With full respect, I acknowledge the decision of the citizens of Hungary and I am ready for intensive cooperation with the new Hungarian prime minister,” Fico said. Observers suggest Fico is concerned that Hungarian voters have set a precedent for rejecting Russian-aligned leadership.

The 90 billion euro loan (approximately 97.2 billion US dollars at current exchange rates) is viewed as critical for Ukraine’s war effort. Russian military bloggers have expressed alarm, acknowledging that Orban’s departure, coupled with Ukraine’s technological advances, could spell the end of Russia’s attrition strategy. One commentator wrote: “Russia’s exhaustion of Ukraine is easily transformed into Russia’s exhaustion by Europe.”

Finland’s president stated that Ukraine’s battlefield position has improved markedly, with Russian losses mounting and Kyiv expanding its ability to strike deep behind enemy lines. Ukrainian drones recently hit a chemical plant in the Russian city of Cherepovets, setting fire to an ammonium production area. Ukraine’s SCALP missiles also struck a drone depot near an airport in Russian-occupied territory. A previous SCALP strike on an electronics factory in Bryansk, part of the supply chain for Russian cruise and ballistic missiles, has resulted in a measurable decline in Russian missile launches over the past month.

In occupied Zaporizhzhia, Firepoint drones have struck supply warehouses, logistics hubs, and fuel tankers. Ukrainian forces have also destroyed Tor and Pantsir air defence systems. President Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine’s defence industry can now produce millions of first person view (FPV) drones per year, along with long range missiles including Flamingo, Ruta, Peklo, Neptune, Polynia, and Vila. For the first time, Ukrainian forces captured Russian positions using only drones and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), a potential breakthrough in robotic warfare.

By contrast, the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has fortified his family’s vacation home in Valdai with seven new missile towers equipped with Pantsir air defence systems, even as Russian soldiers on the front lines suffer from a lack of such systems. In Russia’s Far East, at least 200 Chinese workers building a fuel unit for Rosneft protested unpaid wages in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. The workers, employed by the Russian-Chinese contractor Pro Hema, have not been arrested or harmed due to their Chinese citizenship.

Russian forces struck a critical dam near Kharkiv with a guided bomb and a combined drone attack, targeting the fresh drinking water supply for the city. The dam did not break, but its functionality has been compromised.

In the Middle East, the United States has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports affecting food imports, including nearly 983,000 tons of grains and oilseeds. Blocking food imports and intentionally starving civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute.

Separately, US president Donald Trump posted and later deleted an AI generated image of himself depicted as Jesus Christ, offering an excuse that he thought the figure was a medical doctor. Trump subsequently attacked Pope Leo XIV, who had called for an end to war and peaceful dialogue. Trump called the Pope “weak on crime” and “a loser”. Observers noted that even Hitler and Mussolini did not publicly attack the Pope in such a manner.

Germany has pledged air defence systems, long range weapons, and ammunition to Ukraine in a new aid package. Spain and Belgium will allocate more than two billion euros (approximately 2.16 billion US dollars) in defence support for Ukraine.