When old and new beats meet: For @CJR, I spoke to @panyiszabolcs and Noémi Martini about the pressure on Hungarian journalists as Viktor Orbán desperately fights for reelection.
https://t.co/gFYxg27kMw
Wow. The head of Serbia’s military intel pushes back on the narrative being spread by Orban accusing Ukraine of planting the explosives found by a gas pipeline that goes to Hungary. Calls it disinformation.
About the 🇭🇺 Hungarian election:
If one side wins, the media will see it as a "triumph of democracy". If the other side, it will be "cheating and Russian influence".
Think about this narrative, and whether it respects the dignity of the Hungarian voters.
Just so I understand this correctly: everything that Western newspapers say is misinformation, unless it suggests that Orban might not lose as disastrously as polls say? Got it.
What’s the takeaway for us from Politico’s article published today? – Part 1
➡️ @POLITICOEurope, Brussels’ “message board,” published an article on how the European Union would punish Hungary if @PM_ViktorOrban wins the elections.
Although the article itself is not particularly friendly, it clearly shows that even in Brussels, the Tisza Party and @magyarpeterMP are no longer seen as having a real chance, despite the many opinion polls being manipulated to suggest otherwise.
In Brussels, they are already expecting Viktor Orbán to remain Hungary’s prime minister!
This is also why they have launched a disinformation campaign about Russian interference, so they have something to fall back on when Tisza loses the election.
➡️ The article also proves that Tisza and Péter Magyar would vote for everything demanded by the @EPP: Ukrainian loans, migration policies, and the dismantling of utility price caps.
‼️So the conclusions are:
1.Viktor Orbán is in the lead.
2.The Tisza Party would vote in European decision-making not in the interest of the Hungarian people, but in the interest of @ManfredWeber.
These are now facts that even one of Brussels’ most important news outlets does not deny.
That figure is at $820,000 right now. I'm not saying that change is certainly coming in Hungary, but I've never seen this nation put their money where their mouth was like this before.
In just one day, ordinary Hungarians have donated more than 630 000 euros to Captain Bence Szabo. The detective exposed to journalists how the secret service allegedly started operations against the Tisza party, now he is without a job https://t.co/ANhTN19QKi
In the final stretch of the campaign, Viktor Orbán is trying to overcome a nearly 20-point deficit in the polls—by fighting Ukraine instead of Péter Magyar. Will it work?
Here's my take for @ForeignPolicy
https://t.co/3e5pXUKv7w
For @CJR, I spoke to @DustinGouker about Kalshi, Polymarket, Iran and the press.
I'd say there's an 87% chance that journalism is safe.
https://t.co/YczzzXEF3r
Hungary was the only EU country to abstain. It's also the only EU country where the current Prime Minister is in the middle of a re-election campaign with his core priority being ending the war in Ukraine.
I am grateful to each of the 107 countries that stood with Ukraine today in defense of life at the @UN.
The General Assembly adopted our resolution in support of a lasting peace, with clear calls for a full ceasefire and the return of our people.
These are the right and necessary steps. And we will keep working actively to achieve peace, together with our partners.
Still the coldest video ever, only that there never should've been a need to record it. A three-day offensive turned into a four-year war because *this* was how Ukraine responded to it. Slava Ukraini! 🇺🇦
Zelensky stays in #Kyiv
He recorded a video on Bankova Street along with other statesmen of #Ukraine.
Thus, he refuted the misinformation of Russian propagandists about his alleged escape from the city.
🌍 🕊️ These politicians want peace!
🇭🇺 It's telling that @PM_ViktorOrban was the only European leader to receive an invitation.
🇪🇺 Brussels wants to drag the continent into war! We must not allow it!
🛢️ @PM_ViktorOrban: Ukraine is blackmailing Hungary. The Druzhba oil pipeline has halted deliveries, forcing us to access strategic reserves. This pressure is meant to drag Hungary into a pro-war coalition. We are under enormous pressure to join the war. We continue to resist.
I spoke to @Lescarpenter, who is still covering the Winter Olympics for the Washington Post — despite the renowned sports section being eliminated as a whole last week. Read our interview on @CJR
https://t.co/iilvBEwDts
Dear President @ZelenskyyUa,
It seems to me that we will not be able to come to an understanding. I am a free man who serves the Hungarian people. You are a man in a desperate position who, for the fourth year now, has been unable or unwilling to bring a war to an end—despite the fact that the President of the United States has provided every possible assistance to do so.
Therefore, no matter how much you flatter me, we cannot support your war efforts. The Ukrainian people, of course—despite your carefully chosen insults—can still count on us to continue supplying your country with electricity and fuel, and we will also continue to support refugees arriving from Ukraine.
Life itself will settle the rest, and everyone will get what they deserve.
Viktor
Insane moments in Hungarian politics: President Tamás Sulyok removes the word "Russian" from "Russian missile attack" when describing that Mukachevo, an historically Hungarian town in Zakarpattia, was hit for the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion in Ukraine.
This follows another genius move from two weeks ago: as a technical error halted rail traffic to Lake Balaton on Saturday, MÁV (the public rail company) and transport minister János Lázár proudly announced a replacement bus service.
For the next day. By when the issue was fixed.
Insane moments in Hungarian politics: Years of gov't negligence put Hungarian rails on the brink, producing hour-long delays and sparking public outrage as the summer season began.
The solution? They shut down the live train map this morning, so delays cannot be tracked.