Hungary’s incoming Prime Minister Peter Magyar speaks to the media in Budapest, April 13, 2026 (Denes Erdos/AP)
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EA on Talk TV: New Era in Hungary — Orbán Out, Magyar In, and Ukraine and Europe Boosted
Monday’s Coverage: Zelensky Congratulates Hungary’s Tisza Party on Victory
UPDATE 1132 GMT:
The Kremlin is maintaining its cautious line over the victory of Peter Magyar and the Tisza Party in Hungary’s elections, removing Moscow’s ally Viktor Orbán from power.
“For now, we can note with satisfaction, as far as we understand, [Magyar’s] willingness to engage in pragmatic dialogue,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “In this instance, there is mutual willingness on our part, and we will then proceed to take our cue from the specific steps taken by the new Hungarian government.”
He added, “Let us wait until Hungary’s new government is formed; let us wait for its first real moves.”
UPDATE 1002 GMT:
Spain and Belgium have pledged a combined €2 billion ($2.35 billion) in new military aid to Ukraine.
Belgium committed €1 billion ($1.18 billion) in military assistance for 2026, including additional F-16 fighter jets and spare parts to maintain aircraft already in service.
Spain pledged €1 billion amid discussions on expansion on defense cooperation, including joint drone development and long-range artillery for frontline use.
UPDATE 0955 GMT:
At least two civilians have been murdered and 22 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.
Air defenses downed 115 of 129 drones, but 12 struck eight locations. The Russians also fired four Kh-59/69 guided missiles.
In the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, two people were killed and 18 injured. A medical facility, apartment buildings, private homes, mobile towers, an administrative building, vehicles, and an ambulance were damaged.
Casualties were also reported in the Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Hungary’s incoming Prime Minister Peter Magyar says Budapest will lift its blockade of the European Union’s €90 billion loan to Ukraine, funding Kyiv’s military and financial needs through 2027.
Magyar’s Tisza Party won more than 2/3 of Parliamentary seats in Sunday’s elections, ending the 16-year rule of the pro-Kremlin, hard-right Viktor Orbán.
The Orbán Government has blocked the loans since the end of last year, and has prevented a 20th set of EU sanctions on Moscow.
Magyar said the loan “was already made in December” and that his Tisza Party “would like to be coherent” with previous EU commitments. He noted that Budapest is not required to contribute, as its budget deficit has tripled since 2010.
Magyar signaled the lifting of the blockade could be done even before his government assumes office later this month.
Magyar: I Would Ask Putin to Stop Killing in Ukraine
The incoming Prime Minister, a former member of Orbán’s Fidesz Party, said Ukraine’s accession to the EU cannot be accelerated but must go through the standard process.
He said of Vladimir Putin:
If he calls, I’ll pick up the phone. If we did talk, I could tell him that it would be nice to end the killing after four years and end the war.
It would probably be a short phone conversation and I don’t think he would end the war on my advice.
Magyar plans to review Hungary’s Russian energy contracts and renegotiate them if needed.
