Berliner Boersenzeitung - Hungary's Orban jubilant at Trump victory as he hosts EU leaders

EUR -
AED 3.93398
AFN 71.761178
ALL 96.184036
AMD 414.757133
ANG 1.930797
AOA 977.344039
ARS 1063.26447
AUD 1.6327
AWG 1.919874
AZN 1.823654
BAM 1.922361
BBD 2.163055
BDT 128.0231
BGN 1.950805
BHD 0.403604
BIF 3103.394723
BMD 1.071059
BND 1.410158
BOB 7.403157
BRL 6.437177
BSD 1.071354
BTN 90.109743
BWP 14.246064
BYN 3.505982
BYR 20992.764993
BZD 2.159418
CAD 1.490176
CDF 3046.092941
CHF 0.938826
CLF 0.037481
CLP 1034.17195
CNY 7.68849
CNH 7.625188
COP 4730.33401
CRC 547.766748
CUC 1.071059
CUP 28.383075
CVE 108.483828
CZK 25.362489
DJF 190.348672
DKK 7.456672
DOP 64.77229
DZD 143.330274
EGP 52.696227
ERN 16.065892
ETB 129.544769
FJD 2.417277
FKP 0.819541
GBP 0.833054
GEL 2.907955
GGP 0.819541
GHS 17.565143
GIP 0.819541
GMD 76.582255
GNF 9243.243099
GTQ 8.268179
GYD 224.129287
HKD 8.327465
HNL 26.862018
HRK 7.378561
HTG 140.976466
HUF 411.343578
IDR 17006.281764
ILS 4.011728
IMP 0.819541
INR 90.31794
IQD 1403.087864
IRR 45083.569503
ISK 148.309377
JEP 0.819541
JMD 169.383653
JOD 0.759698
JPY 165.172898
KES 138.166733
KGS 92.323836
KHR 4364.567395
KMF 482.566019
KPW 963.953253
KRW 1502.626776
KWD 0.328708
KYD 0.892762
KZT 525.268307
LAK 23497.972802
LBP 95893.737729
LKR 313.946128
LRD 204.545587
LSL 18.614715
LTL 3.16256
LVL 0.647873
LYD 5.178605
MAD 10.491073
MDL 19.133995
MGA 4942.939611
MKD 61.607203
MMK 3478.759277
MNT 3639.460001
MOP 8.575159
MRU 42.730537
MUR 49.825952
MVR 16.50489
MWK 1858.82609
MXN 22.145749
MYR 4.716412
MZN 68.413986
NAD 18.604608
NGN 1790.800738
NIO 39.398908
NOK 11.914176
NPR 144.175786
NZD 1.80278
OMR 0.412364
PAB 1.071256
PEN 4.041642
PGK 4.295485
PHP 63.067727
PKR 297.651766
PLN 4.362367
PYG 8377.281239
QAR 3.899194
RON 4.975603
RSD 117.015356
RUB 105.374312
RWF 1461.996133
SAR 4.02355
SBD 8.889072
SCR 14.586835
SDG 644.238629
SEK 11.667094
SGD 1.429784
SHP 0.819541
SLE 24.366729
SLL 22459.577469
SOS 611.574969
SRD 37.385286
STD 22168.767915
SVC 9.373945
SYP 2691.069258
SZL 18.604814
THB 36.716456
TJS 11.409432
TMT 3.748708
TND 3.327242
TOP 2.508523
TRY 36.695886
TTD 7.266534
TWD 34.630034
TZS 2918.636739
UAH 44.432813
UGX 3933.541225
USD 1.071059
UYU 44.574646
UZS 13704.205318
VEF 3879969.083263
VES 46.486825
VND 27188.843845
VUV 127.15836
WST 3.000235
XAF 644.736107
XAG 0.031752
XAU 0.000394
XCD 2.894592
XDR 0.802631
XOF 645.312921
XPF 119.331742
YER 267.577403
ZAR 19.017431
ZMK 9640.817422
ZMW 28.898062
ZWL 344.880702
  • RBGPF

    64.1700

    64.17

    +100%

  • JRI

    0.1700

    13.27

    +1.28%

  • NGG

    1.0200

    65.47

    +1.56%

  • CMSD

    0.1200

    25.04

    +0.48%

  • GSK

    0.0500

    37.02

    +0.14%

  • CMSC

    0.0400

    24.68

    +0.16%

  • AZN

    -5.1600

    66.27

    -7.79%

  • BCC

    4.2300

    138.49

    +3.05%

  • RIO

    0.4900

    65.5

    +0.75%

  • SCS

    0.0700

    12.32

    +0.57%

  • RELX

    0.8500

    47.91

    +1.77%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0200

    7.28

    -0.27%

  • VOD

    0.0900

    9.41

    +0.96%

  • BP

    0.2300

    29.96

    +0.77%

  • BTI

    0.3500

    35.46

    +0.99%

  • BCE

    -0.2800

    28.84

    -0.97%

Hungary's Orban jubilant at Trump victory as he hosts EU leaders
Hungary's Orban jubilant at Trump victory as he hosts EU leaders / Photo: ZOLTAN FISCHER - X ACCOUNT OF HUNGARY'S PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN/AFP/File

Hungary's Orban jubilant at Trump victory as he hosts EU leaders

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will host dozens of European leaders in Budapest later this week boosted by his "dear friend" Donald Trump's US election victory, but with relations with other EU states increasingly strained.

Text size:

The nationalist leader has faced a backlash for his country's norm-defying EU presidency, which saw him jetting to Moscow right after taking over the six-month stint in July. His frequent attacks on Brussels and fellow leaders have also left him isolated.

But Orban was jubilant Wednesday as Trump swept the key swing states of Pennsylvania and North Carolina, calling his election win "perhaps the greatest comeback in Western political history.

"They threatened him with jail, have taken away his assets, tried to murder him, the entire media world in the US turned against him, and yet he won," he wrote on Facebook.

Hungary will host the European Political Community (EPC) summit on Thursday, followed by an informal EU leaders' meeting on Friday.

But the US presidential election is likely to overshadow the official agenda.

Trump's victory over Democratic vice-president Kamala Harris will give Orban a "clear advantage" at the upcoming meetings, said analyst Lukas Macek of Jacques Delors Institute, speaking before Americans voted.

He said Orban had taken a gamble on wholeheartedly supporting the man who he calls a "dear friend". Had Harris won, it could have risked "weakening him, even domestically", the expert had warned.

- 'Make Europe Great Again' -

Hungary has vowed to use its EU presidency to push for its "vision of Europe" under the motto "Make Europe Great Again", an echo of Trump's rallying cry.

Orban -- who opposes military aid to Kyiv -- had predicted that Trump's return to power will bring peace to Ukraine, hoping it will force the EU to re-examine its stance on the war.

"If the Americans are switching to peace, then we must also adapt," he told state radio over the weekend.

Orban -- the only EU leader to maintain close ties with the Kremlin after Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- has been banking on Trump to emerge victorious.

There is speculation that Orban will try to organise a video call with Trump, but diplomats are sceptical.

"Orban is known for pulling off things like this, but it's still difficult to arrange at a summit," an EU diplomat told AFP.

But another diplomat stressed that Hungary "usually sticks to the programme and the agenda" when chairing meetings.

- 'False good idea' -

Orban infuriated fellow leaders in July by conducting breakaway diplomacy with Moscow to explore a path to ending the war in Ukraine.

He stoked anger again last month by travelling to Tbilisi to show support for Georgia's ruling party after a disputed parliamentary election.

While international observers, the EU and the United States criticised electoral irregularities and demanded a full investigation, Orban declared the vote was "free and democratic".

Meanwhile, he has publicly accused Brussels of wanting to impose a "puppet government" in Hungary.

The European gatherings will take place in Budapest's Puskas arena -- a football stadium named after legendary Hungarian-Spanish player Ferenc Puskas -- reflecting Orban's avid passion for the sport.

Despite the brewing tensions, the summits are unlikely to be affected by an unofficial boycott of Hungary's presidency, which has seen multiple ministers and high-level officials skipping informal meetings.

Last week, European Council president Charles Michel cautioned against boycotting the meetings, calling the notion a "false good idea".

But according to analyst Macek "patience is wearing thin" with Hungary's premier and "at some point, the EU may have to step up pressure".

He anticipates a "cold atmosphere" at the Budapest summits "but at the same time, as always in these circumstances, appearances will be kept to a minimum."

"Many participants will find ways to make Orban understand their disagreements."

(B.Hartmann--BBZ)