Valdai Club

There are many reasons behind Orbán’s defeat, but if one looks at the overall picture, it is above all worth emphasising that the Fidesz party showed signs of fatigue, its feedback mechanisms weakened, and it proved unable to break out of this situation due to a diminished capacity for self-correction. In effect, it seemed either to deceive itself, believing in an imminent victory right up to the very end—or to cynically persuade its voters of this, writes Gábor Stier.

The emerging coalition of Orbán, Fico, and Babiš is strengthening the position of European sovereigntists. The three politicians hold similar positions: Bratislava and Prague will support Budapest in discussions within the EU, but, contrary to popular belief, this cooperation cannot be called an “anti-Ukrainian” coalition, writes Gábor Stier.

Western global hegemony and the rules-based international order are over. The world is entering a post-Western era not only because of the rise of China, India, and other powers, but also because of the disintegration of the Western community itself, writes Gabor Stier for the 22nd Annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.

Changes in the United States could provide significant support to Viktor Orbán, who was the first in Europe to openly back Donald Trump in his struggle against the European mainstream, writes Gábor Stier. The Hungarian prime minister has a keen sense of global trends, and the fruits of this may become evident during a potential Trump presidency. However, this hinges on Orbán maintaining his power in the 2026 elections, while last year his position weakened for the first time in a long while.

The migration crisis in Europe was much more severe two or three years ago. Back then, Angela Merkel, the leader of Europe’s strongest country, made a mistake by trying to solve the problem in liberal ways. Later, she tried to backtrack, but policy reversal was slow as she feared losing face. Hungarian premier Viktor Orban was the only European politician who said it was a mistake and that Europe must defend itself from the influx of migrants.

The European Union, based on the past years’ experience, decided to take an unexpected step: one of these days the geostrategic goal was defined, and this is integration of the Western Balkans

On the one hand, a lot of nice words have been said, and on the other, unrealizable dreams persist. This is the mood of the Eastern Partnership summit. The European Union is cautious about the crisis in Ukraine, trying to make sure that Russia is not offended. In short, one cannot count on a breakthrough.

Terror in Western Europe has already become a part of everyday life. Nobody feels safe. This means that the terrorists have reached their main symbolic goal - to sow terror in rich countries of the Western Europe. It was not so difficult, because the Muslim population lives compactly there, which is easier to be radicalized, especially the young people.

Viktor Orban is at odds with mainstream but thinks in terms of a strong Europe.

The current relations between Russia and Hungary are about pragmatism and mutually beneficial approaches, not ideology. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s commitment to building closer ties with Russia is obvious.