"Rumors about the death of the Weimar Triangle are greatly exaggerated", said on Friday evening Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who earlier that day met in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron. The leaders announced a list of agreements to boost support for Ukraine. These included a pledge to procure vitally needed ammunition on world markets.
– Hungary is undoubtedly part of the West, and it became so by the decision of King St. Stephen. Hungarians are Europeans, not only in a geographical sense but also in a spiritual sense," president Tamás Sulyok said today in his inauguration speech.
The Hungarian Parliament elected Tamás Sulyok as the President of the Republic on Monday. The president of the Constitutional Court, who was the only candidate for the position, received 134 supporting votes in the secret ballot. After the speaker's announcement of his election, Tamás Sulyok was sworn in as the head of state.
Hungary's parliament has approved Sweden's bid to join NATO. The vote, which passed with 188 votes for and six against, has cleared the way for the Nordic nation's accession to the military alliance. Budapest stood as the final hurdle to Sweden's NATO accession following Turkey's ratification in January.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk will go to Prague, where he will meet with the leaders of the remaining Visegrad Group (V4) countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. The summit in the Czech capital is to be devoted to migration and energy issues. "I will come back from Prague and tell you whether the Visegrad Group still makes sense or not.
"We are strengthening our defense cooperation with Sweden. The Hungarian Air Force will be expanded with four new JAS-39 Gripen fighters, significantly increasing our air defense capabilities," announced Hungarian government spokesman Zoltán Kovács. Swedish Prime Minister arrived in Budapest on Friday. Ulf Kristersson and Viktor Orbán agreed that closer cooperation between the two countries is necessary.
"We are impressed by Poland’s efforts to restore the Rule of Law as the backbone of its society. These efforts are decisive. Next week the European Commission will table decisions on EU funds freeing up to €137 billion for Poland" - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday in Warsaw. "We waited a while, but we got it!
"We need to put pressure on our friends in Budapest to do what they need to do," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said during Monday's press conference. "I hope that your saga with NATO will soon come to an end. It would be an unforgivable mistake if one NATO country blocked the accession of another, which is ready to actively work for common security.
The President of Hungary announced her resignation on the Hungarian M1 news channel on Saturday over a pardon granted to a man convicted in a child sexual abuse case. “Politics is a tough, sometimes cruel world”, – said Katalin Novák.
– Hungarians should immediately agree to Sweden's accession to NATO; it is worth assembling a coalition to exert positive pressure on Hungary on this issue, said the Deputy Prime Minister, head of the Ministry of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, at Tuesday's press conference.
EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell suggested on Monday in Warsaw that member states consider a temporary pause in weapon exports to countries, excluding Ukraine.