Hungary's New Leader Ready to Chart Different Course with Europe and Russia

Péter Magyar, the leader of the Tisza party, has spoken to 10 European leaders following his election victory, which brought an end to Viktor Orbán's 16-year continuous rule in Hungary. Magyar held a marathon press conference, where he stated that he would not be calling Vladimir Putin, but would speak to him if the Russian leader rang.

Magyar said, "If Vladimir Putin calls I'll pick up the phone... I'd tell him to please, after four years, put an end to the killing and end this war." He also mentioned that he does not think Putin would call him, and if they did talk, it would likely be a short conversation.

European Relations

Magyar has already spoken to several European leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president. He emphasized that Hungary belongs in the EU and plans to join the eurozone. His first diplomatic visits will be to Poland, Austria, and Germany, countries that he believes Hungary has a close affinity to.

Magyar's stance on Europe is in contrast to Orbán's, who had often blamed the EU and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky for the ongoing war in Ukraine. Magyar told reporters that every Hungarian knows Ukraine is the victim of the war with Russia, and that the war makes no sense from a Russian perspective either.

War in Ukraine

Orbán's campaign had claimed that the EU and Ukraine were prolonging the war in Ukraine, and he had blocked a €90bn EU loan of aid to Kyiv last month. Magyar, on the other hand, believes that the war should end, and that it has caused tens of thousands of Russian lives to be lost and tens or hundreds of thousands of Russian families to be destroyed.

Magyar also criticized Orbán's government for its ties to Russia, which had come under scrutiny after Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó admitted sharing information with Russian officials before and after EU meetings on sanctions.

During the press conference, Magyar was handed a note and alleged that the outgoing foreign minister had been shredding confidential documents relating to sanctions with Russia in the ministry building that day.