logo
National security committee to be convened over Magyar's connection to Ukraine's influence operations

National security committee to be convened over Magyar's connection to Ukraine's influence operations

Budapest Times20-05-2025

Máté Kocsis, the ruling party's group leader, said on Facebook on Friday that Fidesz has proposed convening parliament's national security committee over opposition Tisza Party leader Péter Magyar's connection to Ukraine's influence operations.
Kocsis said it was vital to 'clarify new information that surfaced in the press today on a connection between Ukrainian influence operations and the Tisza Party'. He said Hungary's secret services would have to conduct a thorough investigation into Magyar's connection to a high-ranking officer in Ukraine's military public administration.
'In light of all this, we have initiated convening another meeting of the national security committee for next Tuesday, where we will request a briefing on these matters, and, if possible, we will propose releasing the available information to the public,' Kocsis said.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Kocsis: MPs won't hold vote on transparency law before the summer
Kocsis: MPs won't hold vote on transparency law before the summer

Budapest Times

time14 hours ago

  • Budapest Times

Kocsis: MPs won't hold vote on transparency law before the summer

Máté Kocsis, the Fidesz parliamentary group leader, said the transparency law will not be included on the legislative committee's agenda and MPs will not hold a vote on it before the summer. Kocsis told news portal Index on Wednesday that Fidesz was united behind making use of a law to protect sovereignty, but a debate was underway about what form the relevant legislation should take. A debate on the transparency law will be postponed until the autumn, and professional organisations will be consulted on its contents in the meantime, he added. Besides proposals from Fidesz MPs, the Hungarian Banking Association, the Hungarian Advertising Association, the presidential Sándor Palace, the Hungarian Bar Association and the Hungarian Newspaper Publishers Association have stated their views too, he added. Fidesz believes at the same time, that professional organisations such as organisations financed from abroad, 'pseudo-civil groups' and media actors that would fall under the scope of the law would not have a say in the drafting of the legislation, he said. They had generally sent 'ad hominem criticisms' rather than constructive suggestions, he said, and these 'cannot be taken into account in the legislative process'. Kocsis referred to the 'Ukrainian espionage case', saying it was 'a good example of why sovereignty must be protected'. He insisted that 'Ukrainian propaganda' was based on 'fake recordings' that had led to the false impression that Hungary was readying itself 'for military aggression against Ukraine'. Far from being the case, the case 'highlights that disinformation campaigns are indeed taking place' against Hungary, Kocsis added. Such disinformation, he added, did not just appear from abroad but in certain parts of the Hungarian press too. The Fidesz politician said that whereas protecting sovereignty was a decisive issue in the long term, it was important to clarify what means could be used to combat it. Disinformation campaigns related to the Russia-Ukraine war and other matters related to sovereignty protection would probably end up being handled separately, he said. Fidesz MP János Halász submitted the bill on the Transparency of Public Life to parliament in mid-May, and it would open up the possibility of blacklisting organisations financed from abroad that threaten Hungary's sovereignty.

Orbán: We must take Brussels while the emperor wages war
Orbán: We must take Brussels while the emperor wages war

Budapest Times

time14 hours ago

  • Budapest Times

Orbán: We must take Brussels while the emperor wages war

PM Orbán used the gathering to deliver a comprehensive and critical assessment of Brussels' current political and military posture, especially concerning the war in Ukraine and its implications for Hungarian sovereignty and the wider region. 'A real hussar's trick is needed,' declared the prime minister. 'While the emperor wages war, we must take Brussels; while Brussels prepares for war, we must strengthen Europe's anti-war initiatives.' He argued that the EU, once legitimized by its promise of peace and prosperity, has now lost its way. 'This is no longer the European Union we joined,' he said. 'The legendary quality of life in the West is gone.' Central to PM Orbán's critique was what he called Brussels' 'war policy,' which he claims has inflated energy prices, drained investment funds, and pushed the continent towards militarization. 'War has made everything more expensive,' he said, 'and now they want to solve economic problems through increased arms spending.' He described the EU's economic cycle as 'Brussels gives weapons to Ukraine, Ukraine buys them with EU loans, and Brussels buys Ukrainian goods,' asserting that this is not genuine economic growth but a 'war-based economic cycle.' He was especially candid about Ukraine's EU integration. 'Integrating Ukraine would break the Hungarian economy,' he warned. 'Full integration would cost €2.5 trillion over several years — 12 times the EU's current annual budget.' Beyond that, he noted, 'running Ukraine already costs €100 billion annually. For Hungary, this would be a burden of HUF 20 trillion.' On European centralization, PM Orbán said that Brussels is using the war as a pretext to grab more power. 'This is a coup,' he said. 'They want to eliminate national sovereignty and establish the United States of Europe.' He said that EU institutions are 'interfering in elections, monitoring sovereigntist parties, shutting down right-wing events, and financing federalist and pro-war fake civil society and media across Europe.' He further warned against new fiscal mechanisms proposed by Brussels: 'They want direct EU taxation, taking €37 billion a year from member states. They'd take money meant for our farmers and regional development and funnel it into the war effort.' Addressing Hungary's geopolitical role, PM Orbán emphasized regional cooperation. 'We must not join the Franco-German axis—we must strengthen the Visegrád cooperation,' he said, highlighting Poland's recent presidential election as 'particularly encouraging.' He envisioned a robust Central Europe that can 'block Brussels' federalist and pro-war agenda.' Finally, he reiterated his opposition to Hungary becoming a 'migrant country' and stressed the strategic importance of maintaining the Hungarian language and identity in the Carpathian Basin. 'The task is to teach 1 million people Hungarian over the next decade,' he said, adding that peaceful coexistence with neighbors is essential but must not come 'at the cost of national interest.' 'Our mission is clear,' concluded PM Orbán. 'Brussels must not sit on our necks. We stayed, they fell. But the wounds suffered by the Hungarian nation from the (last) empire have not yet healed. Let's not ask for a repeat—especially not in a Brussels uniform.'

Szentkirályi calls for a review of all Budapest spending since 2019
Szentkirályi calls for a review of all Budapest spending since 2019

Budapest Times

time2 days ago

  • Budapest Times

Szentkirályi calls for a review of all Budapest spending since 2019

After attending talks initiated by Mayor Gergely Karácsony, Alexandra Szentkirályi, the leader of the Fidesz-Christian democrat group in the Budapest municipality, has called for a review of all Budapest spending since 2019. Szentkirályi told a press conference after the talks that she had received no answer as to how City Hall's coffers were now lacking the 214 billion forints (EUR 530.9m) by which she said the authority was in the black when Karácsony took over the mayoralty in 2019. She said she had also not received an answer as to 'why the city bought real estate for 50 billion and committed to the Rakosrendezo project if it is close to insolvency'. Regarding the city's public transport company BKK, Szentkirályi said suspicion was growing that the 'irresponsible management of the municipality may be rooted in unknown factors.' 'Karácsony and the Tisza coalition, which gives the city leadership, owes all Budapest citizens answers,' she said. Szentkirályi noted that while the Fidesz-KDNP group attended the talks, Tisza stayed away. '[Tisza leader] Peter Magyar is extremely cowardly, and is trying to stay away from the responsibility of leading the city,' she insisted. Commenting on Karácsony's announcement that public transport will cease in the city for a short interval on Friday 'as a first warning to the government', Szentkirályi said such a move was 'unacceptable'. Karácsony must not take revenge on Budapest citizens, she said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store