Commentators conclude that the Hungary-Russia summit produced no surprises, but served to re-emphasize earlier standpoints. They disagree however on what role Hungary should play in relations between the West and Russia. READ MORE
While left-wing parties cautiously avoid commenting over the past few days on the upcoming one day visit of the Russian President, left-liberal commentators express disagreement with the government’s friendly attitude towards the Russian leader. READ MORE
Commenting on PM Orbán’s meeting with Russian President Putin, left-wing analysts suspect that Putin wants to use Hungarian support to lift EU sanctions. Pro-government columnists, on the other hand, think that PM Orbán pursued pragmatic Hungarian interests in Moscow. READ MORE
Commentators both on Left and Right think that US-Russian cooperation would be essential to the resolution of the Syrian crisis and that without restoring order, the flow of migrants to Europe will not stop. READ MORE
Right-wing columnists commenting on Italian PM Renzi’s talks in Moscow point out that despite economic sanctions and diplomatic disputes, pragmatic Western statesmen are willing to meet President Putin if national interest demands. Thus, they argue, it is only normal that PM Orbán is also trying to maintain good ties with Moscow. READ MORE
The leading left-wing daily contends that Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was murdered because of his critical views of the Kremlin, and blasts PM Orbán for considering Putin’s illiberal democracy a role model. Conservative columnists suspect that it was not in Putin’s interest to have Nemtsov assassinated, since his death will be used by the anti-Putin camp. READ MORE
Commenting on the government’s foreign affairs strategy, most left-wing and liberal commentators accuse PM Orbán of selling out to Moscow. Right-wing pundits, on the other hand, defend what they see as the government’s pragmatic and balanced foreign affairs vision. Some moderate analysts castigate mindless exaggerations and ideologically motivated approaches on both sides. READ MORE
Left-wing and liberal columnists accuse PM Orbán of assisting Russian President Putin in his geopolitical tricks. A pro-government pundit contends that Hungary, like Europe, needs to maintain good relations with Russia for pragmatic reasons. READ MORE
In welcoming Vladimir Putin’s visit to Hungary on Tuesday a pro-government columnist praises the Russian President for what he considers the restoration of Russia’s greatness. The leading left-wing daily contends that in the current geopolitical situation, Hungary should not try to strengthen ties with Russia. READ MORE
Hungary’s weeklies put Chancellor Merkel’s talks in Budapest on Monday and President Putin’s visit two weeks later in the context of Hungary’s position as a NATO member country that has consistently voted against sanctions against Moscow, while working on new joint projects with Russia. READ MORE