Latest news with #PeterMagyar
Saudi Gazette
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Orban accused of using Ukraine spy row in fight for political survival
BUDAPEST — A spate of arrests, diplomatic expulsions and public humiliations has plunged relations between war-torn Ukraine and its prickly Nato neighbor Hungary to a new low. At the heart of the row are accusations that Viktor Orban's Fidesz government in Hungary is using the spat to fight his main political rival, the opposition Tisza party, which leads in the polls ahead of 2026 elections. Earlier this month, Ukraine's SBU security service announced the arrest of two Ukrainian citizens accused of spying for Hungary. According to the allegations, backed by video and audio evidence, the man and woman were in the pay of Hungarian military intelligence, preparing for Hungarian military action in Ukraine. Hungary then expelled two Ukrainian diplomats and Ukraine followed suit in a tit-for-tat response that has further damaged already sour relations. Hungary also arrested a Ukrainian citizen and accused him of spying. Orban is widely seen as Russia's closest ally in the European Union, and his government has broken ranks with his European partners by maintaining trade and opposing sanctions on Russia, refusing to allow the transit of weapons, and comparing Ukraine to Afghanistan. Now he has accused Kyiv of trying to "vilify" his country. All eight million Hungarian households recently received a questionnaire from the government, dubbed "Vox 2025", inviting them to reject Ukraine's EU membership. Under a year ago, Orban presented himself as the only person on the planet other than the Pope, who was trying to secure an unconditional ceasefire. But his critics depicted his so-called peace mission to Kyiv, Moscow and other capitals as an attempt to reward Russian aggression. The day after Orban met Russia's Vladimir Putin, Russian missiles struck the Ohmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv. Three days later, the leader of the Tisza Party in Hungary, Peter Magyar, brought $40,000 of Hungarian medical aid to the hospital. Opinion polls suggest Magyar could oust Orban from power next April. The man who drove the Tisza leader to Kyiv, Roland Tseber, is now a target of Fidesz attempts to accuse the Hungarian opposition party of betraying Hungary. Roland Tseber came across as a fresh-faced, hard-working politician when I met him at a Ukrainian refugee center in Uzhorod in April. He was helping distribute medical aid from Hungary, working with Hungarian doctors and psychologists who have supported internally displaced Ukrainians from the eastern war zone, since 2022. His troubles began within weeks of Peter Magyar's visit, he told me. Ukraine arrests two over alleged Hungarian spy plot In August, he heard he was banned from Hungary and, at Hungary's insistence, from the whole Schengen zone of the EU, without explanation. Tseber's letter to the Hungarian embassy in Kyiv went unanswered. The leader of the far-right Our Homeland party in the Hungarian Parliament, Laszlo Toroczkai, labeled him a "terrorist". Mate Kocsis the leader of the Fidesz faction in the Hungarian parliament, has called him a "Ukrainian spy", long in the sights of Hungarian counter-intelligence. "I reject all such accusations which try to link me to intelligence activities of any kind. This is ridiculous. I'm a Transcarpathian politician who works honestly and openly for his homeland and for Hungarian interests," Mr Tseber told me in a phone interview. As an elected, independent councillor in the regional assembly of Transcarpathia, who sits in the political group of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party, he meets politicians of all shades, he says, including the deputy Hungarian Foreign Minister, Levente Magyar. "I'm a Ukrainian politician and I meet with everyone. This whole situation is ridiculous. They want to drag me into this spy story. But anyone with any common sense can understand that this is absurd." The weakest link in the Hungarian government's narrative is that if he was really on the radar of Hungarian intelligence, government politicians and Peter Magyar as a Member of the European Parliament would have been warned to stay away from him. The dwindling Hungarian community in Transcarpathia has become collateral damage in the Ukraine-Hungary row. In Ukraine's last census, in 2001, their population was 150,000, but latest estimates suggest their number has since halved to 70-80,000. Dozens have lost their lives, fighting for Ukraine against Russia. Another twist in the story is that a former Hungarian chief-of-staff, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, who's now a prominent Tisza party politician, has come under attack from government-controlled media. The government alleges that "a former senior figure in the defence sector" - an apparent reference to Ruszin-Szendi - was in contact with Ukrainian intelligence. Ruszin-Szendi hit back, alleging a smear campaign. "I am a decent Hungarian citizen who has worn the uniform since the age of 14. I am shocked and saddened to know that what I and my comrades have done for our country is worth so much for you," he addressed the government on Facebook. Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Viktor Orban has portrayed himself as a man of peace, and won the April 2022 election with a promise to keep Hungary out of the war in Ukraine. However, a speech from 2023 that has only just been leaked by Peter Magyar tells a very different story. Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky was recorded saying a year after the war in Ukraine began that the government had decided to break with the peace mentality and move to "phase zero of the road to war", with a combat-read Hungarian army. This was the same year that many experienced Atlanticists such as Ruszin-Szendi were sacked as part of a "rejuvenation" of the military. They were replaced by officers loyal to the government's pro-Moscow stance. — BBC
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Orban accused of using Ukraine spy row in fight for political survival
A spate of arrests, diplomatic expulsions and public humiliations has plunged relations between war-torn Ukraine and its prickly Nato neighbour Hungary to a new low. At the heart of the row are accusations that Viktor Orban's Fidesz government in Hungary is using the spat to fight his main political rival, the opposition Tisza party, which leads in the polls ahead of 2026 elections. Earlier this month, Ukraine's SBU security service announced the arrest of two Ukrainian citizens accused of spying for Hungary. According to the allegations, backed by video and audio evidence, the man and woman were in the pay of Hungarian military intelligence, preparing for Hungarian military action in Ukraine. Hungary then expelled two Ukrainian diplomats and Ukraine followed suit in a tit-for-tat response that has further damaged already sour relations. Hungary also arrested a Ukrainian citizen and accused him of spying. Orban is widely seen as Russia's closest ally in the European Union, and his government has broken ranks with his European partners by maintaining trade and opposing sanctions on Russia, refusing to allow the transit of weapons, and comparing Ukraine to Afghanistan. Now he has accused Kyiv of trying to "vilify" his country. All eight million Hungarian households recently received a questionnaire from the government, dubbed "Vox 2025", inviting them to reject Ukraine's EU membership. Under a year ago, Orban presented himself as the only person on the planet other than the Pope, who was trying to secure an unconditional ceasefire. But his critics depicted his so-called peace mission to Kyiv, Moscow and other capitals as an attempt to reward Russian aggression. The day after Orban met Russia's Vladimir Putin, Russian missiles struck the Ohmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv. Three days later, the leader of the Tisza Party in Hungary, Peter Magyar, brought $40,000 of Hungarian medical aid to the hospital. Opinion polls suggest Magyar could oust Orban from power next April. The man who drove the Tisza leader to Kyiv, Roland Tseber, is now a target of Fidesz attempts to accuse the Hungarian opposition party of betraying Hungary. Roland Tseber came across as a fresh-faced, hard-working politician when I met him at a Ukrainian refugee centre in Uzhorod in April. He was helping distribute medical aid from Hungary, working with Hungarian doctors and psychologists who have supported internally displaced Ukrainians from the eastern war zone, since 2022. His troubles began within weeks of Peter Magyar's visit, he told me. Ukraine arrests two over alleged Hungarian spy plot In August, he heard he was banned from Hungary and, at Hungary's insistence, from the whole Schengen zone of the EU, without explanation. Mr Tseber's letter to the Hungarian embassy in Kyiv went unanswered. The leader of the far-right Our Homeland party in the Hungarian Parliament, Laszlo Toroczkai, labelled him a "terrorist". Mate Kocsis the leader of the Fidesz faction in the Hungarian parliament, has called him a "Ukrainian spy", long in the sights of Hungarian counter-intelligence. "I reject all such accusations which try to link me to intelligence activities of any kind. This is ridiculous. I'm a Transcarpathian politician who works honestly and openly for his homeland and for Hungarian interests," Mr Tseber told me in a phone interview. As an elected, independent councillor in the regional assembly of Transcarpathia, who sits in the political group of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party, he meets politicians of all shades, he says, including the deputy Hungarian Foreign Minister, Levente Magyar. "I'm a Ukrainian politician and I meet with everyone. This whole situation is ridiculous. They want to drag me into this spy story. But anyone with any common sense can understand that this is absurd." The weakest link in the Hungarian government's narrative is that if he was really on the radar of Hungarian intelligence, government politicians and Peter Magyar as a Member of the European Parliament would have been warned to stay away from him. The dwindling Hungarian community in Transcarpathia has become collateral damage in the Ukraine-Hungary row. In Ukraine's last census, in 2001, their population was 150,000, but latest estimates suggest their number has since halved to 70-80,000. Dozens have lost their lives, fighting for Ukraine against Russia. Another twist in the story is that a former Hungarian chief-of-staff, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, who's now a prominent Tisza party politician, has come under attack from government-controlled media. The government alleges that "a former senior figure in the defence sector" - an apparent reference to Ruszin-Szendi - was in contact with Ukrainian intelligence. Ruszin-Szendi hit back, alleging a smear campaign. "I am a decent Hungarian citizen who has worn the uniform since the age of 14. I am shocked and saddened to know that what I and my comrades have done for our country is worth so much for you," he addressed the government on Facebook. Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Viktor Orban has portrayed himself as a man of peace, and won the April 2022 election with a promise to keep Hungary out of the war in Ukraine. However, a speech from 2023 that has only just been leaked by Peter Magyar tells a very different story. Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky was recorded saying a year after the war in Ukraine began that the government had decided to break with the peace mentality and move to "phase zero of the road to war", with a combat-read Hungarian army. This was the same year that many experienced Atlanticists such as Ruszin-Szendi were sacked as part of a "rejuvenation" of the military. They were replaced by officers loyal to the government's pro-Moscow stance.
DW
27-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Orban's political rival Peter Magyar walks to Romania – DW – 05/27/2025
Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar walked 300 km to Romania to protest the policies of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He was welcomed by ethnic Hungarians in the city of Oradea. On May 14, Peter Magyar, Hungary's main opposition leader, embarked on a 300 km trek to neighboring Romania. He did so in protest at the policies of Hungary's government, led by Prime Minister Victor Orban. There are approximately 1.1 million ethnic Hungarians in Romania — 6.1% of the country's total population. Most of them live in the regions of Transylvania and Banat. Magyar's destination at the end of his march was Oradea, one of the cities in Transylvania with a large Hungarian-speaking population. Welcomed by locals, Magyar sought to emphasize unity among Hungarians across national borders and draw attention to shared democratic values. Peter Magyar is expected to be Viktor Orban's main challenger in next spring's parliamentary election in Hungary. According to recent opinion polls, it looks like he could win the election too.
DW
26-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Magyar's million steps to Romania — and to power in Hungary? – DW – 05/26/2025
Hungary's opposition leader Peter Magyar walked from Budapest to northwestern Romania in the hope of gaining the support of ethnic Hungarians there. Such support would be key for an election victory. Hungary's opposition leader Peter Magyar was wearing a traditional Hungarian-style white shirt and a white waistcoat embroidered with bright blue flowers when he and several dozen supporters walked across the Hungarian–Romanian border at about 9 a.m. on Saturday morning. As they continued their walk through northwestern Romania, people came out to speak to the Hungarian politician, asking him to pose for selfies or shaking his hand. Drivers honked their horns in greeting. By lunchtime, the group had reached the city of Oradea. Later, while addressing a crowd of several hundred people outside the city's fortress, Magyar said: "the countdown has begun. Hungarians want to be part of Europe. They've had enough of dictatorship and division. They want peace, calm and prosperity." Why did Magyar walk to this part of Romania? Oradea was the final stop on Magyar's 11-day, million-step walk, the latest in his series of high-profile political actions in the midst of an unprecedented campaign of hate and agitation by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his government against anyone who thinks differently from themselves. Orban accuses Magyar and his Tisza (Respect and Freedom) Party of working for the Ukrainian secret service and being traitors, without providing any evidence to back up these claims. Magyar said he wanted to listen to the concerns and troubles of Hungarians along the way and that the walk marked the beginning of the end of the Orban era. It was the first walk of its kind in Hungary. Magyar's walk began in the Hungarian capital on May 14 and took him over 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast to Oradea, which is home to many ethnic Hungarian Romanians. Peter Magyar and supporters walked 300 km from the Hungarian capital to Oradea in northwestern Romania Image: Marton Monus/REUTERS Ethnic Hungarians in Hungary's neighboring countries who hold dual citizenship are not only an important voter group in Hungarian parliamentary elections, they are also traditionally of immense emotional significance for Hungarian society. This is particularly true of the ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania and other regions of Romania. Historical ties For many Hungarians, the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, which saw two-thirds of Hungarian territory given to Hungary's neighbors after World War I, remains a major trauma. Almost overnight, large parts of Hungary's population became citizens of other countries. The ethnic Hungarians of Transylvania have a reputation in Hungary as dogged freedom fighters and preservers of all things Hungarian. One of the things that triggered the end of the communist dictatorship in Hungary in 1989/90 were protests against the plans of Romania's communist dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, to raze up to 7,000 villages in Romania. Many ethnic Hungarians would have been directly affected by these plans. Mass demonstrations against the Romanian regime and in solidarity with ethnic Hungarians in Romania began in Hungary in 1988. Magyar ahead in the polls Although votes cast in Hungarian elections by ethnic Hungarians in neighboring countries account for an average of just two seats in Hungary's parliament, no politician who wants to win an election can afford to ignore this voter group or even go against it. Peter Magyar set out from Budapest on May 14 on his million-step walk Image: Marton Monus/REUTERS Recent opinion polls suggest that Peter Magyar and the Tisza Party would easily defeat Orban and Fidesz in a parliamentary election. The next one is due to take place in spring 2026. Magyar's success to date is down to the fact that he denounces widespread corruption in the Orban system and the poor state of the country's public infrastructure, including its education and healthcare systems. This appeals to many in Hungary who are tired of Orban after 16 uninterrupted years of his rule. Orban's big mistake But Magyar is now widening his political strategy. First of all, he is paying more attention to the issue of ethnic Hungarians in neighboring countries. He has been helped in this respect by a major political mistake Orban made in the runup to Romania's recent presidential election. Orban gave his backing to the pro-Russian hard-right candidate George Simion, who is known for violent, anti-Hungarian actions in the past. In 2019, for example, Simion and his supporters wrecked Hungarian graves in a graveyard for Hungarian and Romanian soldiers in Transylvania. The attack came as a massive shock to the ethnic Hungarian community. Orban's backing of Simion put him at odds with the leadership of the UDMR, the political party of Romania's Hungarian minority, which is otherwise loyally aligned with the Hungarian leader. A rally organized by Peter Maygar's opposition Tisza Party in Budapest on March 15, 2025, the Hungarian national holiday Image: Attila Kisbendek/AFP/Getty Images Record numbers of ethnic Hungarians in Romania voted for Simion's pro-European opponent, Nicusor Dan, helping him win the election. Focus on Hungarian minorities Peter Magyar made political capital out of this during his speech in Oradea. He portrayed Orban as someone who quite easily puts political interests ahead of the welfare of the Hungarian community in neighboring countries — despite the fact that it was Orban's own party that anchored the protection of this group in the Hungarian constitution. Orban also has close ties to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, both of whom have a long tradition of aggressive policies towards their countries' minorities and in particular their Hungarian minorities. With his campaign against Ukraine joining the EU, Orban has also consciously positioned himself against the interests of Ukraine's Hungarian minority, whose members are strongly in favor of Ukraine's EU accession. Poisoned atmosphere But Magyar is making a concerted effort to ensure that his speeches are not just built on anti-Orban messages. He consciously uses positive messages and often uses terms such as "peace," "reconciliation" and "unity." Viktor Orban (right) has close ties to Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia (left) and Robert Fico of Slovakia (center) Image: Robert Nemeti/Anadolu/picture alliance The reason for this is that after over a decade-and-a-half of Orban rule, Hungarian society is struggling with what has become an extremely polarized, poisoned public atmosphere. Many Hungarians have firsthand experience of the strain political disputes put on friendships and family relationships. Is change imminent? It remains to be seen whether Magyar's message will strike a chord with ethnic Hungarians living in Hungary's neighboring countries. After all, Orban's government supports ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania alone to the tune of several hundred million euros a year. On Saturday, at least, it looked as if most of those who turned out to hear Magyar speak in Oradea were on his side. After his speech, he posed for countless selfies and spoke to locals. Most people seemed curious, saying that they didn't know Magyar very well, but that it was time for a change at the top in Hungary. At his press conference on Saturday, Magyar repeated his mantra: "This is the start of something new." He might well be right. This article was originally published in German and adapted by Aingeal Flanagan.
Free Malaysia Today
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Hungary's Magyar walks to Romania to court ethnic Hungarians
Peter Magyar will meet Hungarians in Oradea after crossing the border. (AFP pic) BUDAPEST : Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar walked across the border to Romania on Saturday after a week-long journey, in an attempt to win support of the ethnic Hungarians in Romania and appeal to conservative voters in the run-up to the 2026 elections. Magyar's centre-right Tisza party emerged last year to mount the most serious challenge to nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban since he rose to power in 2010. Most opinion polls now put Tisza ahead of Orban's Fidesz party with the next parliamentary elections due in early 2026. No date has been set yet. Carrying Hungary's national flag, Magyar walked across the border on Saturday morning with a group of supporters. 'We are not going (to Romania) to escalate tensions or to cause any harm to our Hungarian brothers and sisters living there. We are going there to express our solidarity,' Magyar said on May 14 when he set out on foot in hiking gear. On his way to the border, Magyar stopped in small towns to talk to rural voters, who have traditionally supported conservative Orban. Orban's government provides financial support to ethnic Hungarian communities in Romania and in 2014 granted the right to vote to Hungarians living abroad. In the last election in 2022 94% of these voters supported Fidesz. The latest poll by the Publicus think tank, published on Friday, showed Tisza with 43% support among decided voters in Hungary while Fidesz had 36%. Magyar announced his march on May 12 after Orban flagged he could cooperate with Romanian hard-right presidential candidate George Simion ahead of the May 18 election there. The RMDSZ party representing ethnic Hungarians in Romania, said Simion's win would pose a threat to minorities' rights and urged its voters to support centrist Nicusor Dan who ended up winning the vote.
