Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today!
The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, urged Europe to “immediately” lift sanctions on Russian energy to shield its economy from “one of the most severe economic crises in its history” coming as a consequence of the Iran war (15:12).
Earlier today, Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, warned that Donald Trump’s repeated threats of breaking up Nato, the prospect of a “massive” energy crisis in Europe, and Viktor Orbán’s moves to block aid and money for Ukraine all look like “Putin’s dream plan” (10:47).
In response, Orbán taunted Tusk telling him to “think not about Putin, but about our own country and peoples”.
His comments come just 10 days before a key parliamentary election in Hungary, amid growing scrutiny of his pro-Russian policy positions after he faced robust criticism from other EU leaders.
Meanwhile, Ukraine started a 24/7 “online radio” broadcasting rebuttals to Orbán’s comments, urging Hungarians to “not trust the toxic anti-Ukrainian propaganda coming from officials on a daily basis.” (16:33).
Separately,
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, dismissed Donald Trump’s mocking comments about his marriage saying they were “neither elegant nor appropriate” and “they do not warrant a response” (12:14).
During a private event last night, Trump ridiculed France’s Emmanuel Macron for a 2025 incident in which he appeared to be getting shoved by his wife, Brigitte, mocking him for “still recovering from the right to the jaw” (10:17).
Trump also criticised “very bad” allies in Nato, saying the alliance was a “paper tiger,” with Macron condemning his comments for undermining the partnership (12:36).
Trump’s comments also drew widespread criticism in France, including from Macron’s political critics (11:28).
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Updated
Ukraine starts online 'radio' to rebuke Orbán’s criticism 24/7 on loop
Back to Hungary for a second, Ukraine’s foreign ministry appears to be growing tired of Viktor Orbán’s regular use of anti-Ukrainian rhetoric in the final days of campaign.
So much so, that the authorities in Kyiv launched … an online “radio”, playing their explanations in Hungarian, English and Ukrainian on loop, 24/7.
When you tune in, it says:
“We reject manipulations regarding Ukraine, made on a regular basis by prime minister Orbán and his team. We condemn his consistent attempts to drag Ukraine into his domestic politics or electoral campaign. Ukraine has never meant and does not mean any harm to neighbouring Hungary.
We ask all Hungarians not to trust the toxic anti-Ukrainian propaganda coming from officials on a daily basis. We are doomed [sic!] to be good neighbours, members of the EU and Nato, not the Russian world.
Thank you for listening to the Hungarian Radio of Ukraine.”
The ministry’s spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said the Ukrainians were “tired of reacting to each” of “absurd statements about Ukraine” and this is their response.
When someone pointed it out to him that “doomed” was not the right word in the second last sentence, he promised it would get tweaked, before jokingly adding:
“Although in this case, maybe [we are] ‘doomed’”
Updated
