Two pro-government outlets devote their weekly editorials to the selfless assistance Hungarians are offering to Ukrainian refugees, while their opposition-leaning counterparts accuse the government of failing to condemn Russia unequivocally and ponder the impact of the war on the elections to be held in three weeks’ time. READ MORE
The weeklies went to print before the Russian onslaught on Ukraine began in the early hours of Thursday, but they already offered comments on the prospect of a Russian invasion of at least part of Hungary’s eastern neighbour. READ MORE
As the EU imposes another round of sanctions in response to Russia’s moves in eastern Ukraine, commentators try to make sense of what they see as a partial revival of the Cold War. READ MORE
As PM Orbán assures the European Union that Hungary ’is part of the joint EU stance’, media outlets are cautiously dramatic in reporting Russia’s decision to send troops into eastern Ukraine, after President Putin recognised the independence of the two breakaway regions. READ MORE
Pundits right across the political spectrum try to see through the smokescreen in order to make sense of the Ukraine crisis, and gauge the potential scenarios which may develop, and their possible implications for Hungary. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator thinks that President Putin’s demand that NATO pull back from Eastern Europe (to the 1997 status quo) means the Hungarian government can no longer sit on the fence. A pro-government pundit accuses those who side with Ukraine of treason. READ MORE
A pro-government commentator thinks that PM Orbán managed to broker important economic deals with President Putin. A liberal commentator, on the other hand, thinks that President Putin used the Hungarian leader’s visit for propaganda purposes. READ MORE
On the day of Prime Minister Orbán’s visit to Moscow, a conservative commentator welcomes the Hungarian government’s efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis, and stay out of the – for now – diplomatic conflict between the US and Russia. READ MORE
A liberal and a conservative weekly disagree on the chances of a serious military conflict between Russia and Ukraine – and by implication, on the message the Hungarian Prime Minister is sending by visiting Moscow on Tuesday. READ MORE
A liberal commentator finds it highly controversial of Prime Minister Orbán to pay a visit to Russian President Putin at a time when relations between NATO and the EU and Moscow are so tense. A pro-government analyst thinks that Hungary can and should take a pragmatic approach to Russia. READ MORE