Magyar Begins Symbolic Poland Visit Amid Hungarian Political Turmoil

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

WARSAW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Peter Magyar began a two-day visit to Poland on Tuesday, his first trip abroad since taking office, leaving behind a nation in political turmoil after his threat to oust the Hungarian president while reaching out to Brussels and Kyiv.

Magyar was due to meet Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Wednesday as he attempts to steer Hungary back toward the European mainstream after years of tensions between Budapest and the European Union under former premier Viktor Orbán.

Tusk led a pro-European coalition to power in 2023, restoring ties with Brussels and helping unblock billions of euros in EU funds frozen over rule-of-law concerns.

Analysts say Magyar hopes to achieve a similar breakthrough after his landslide April election victory over Orbán, ending more than 16 years of nationalist rule dominated by clashes with Brussels over democracy, media freedom, and relations with Russia.

Relations between Warsaw and Budapest deteriorated sharply under Orbán and Tusk, largely over Hungary’s stance on Ukraine and Moscow.

SHIFT IN CENTRAL EUROPE

“We just need to go back to normality,” Magyar told reporters in Krakow after arriving on a commercial flight. “We need to talk to each other and seek what we have in common.”

Magyar planned to travel by train from Krakow to Warsaw on a high-speed rail line funded by the European Union, in what appeared to be a subtle criticism of Orbán’s longstanding anti-Brussels rhetoric.

He was accompanied by several ministers, including Foreign Minister Anita Orbán, Economy and Energy Minister István Kapitány, and Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi.

The trip came as Hungary launched a new round of negotiations with the European Commission over suspended EU funds worth billions of euros.

Magyar said he exchanged letters with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and hoped to sign a political agreement in Brussels next week to pave the way for funds to begin flowing by autumn.

EU FUNDS AND ENERGY

Hungary faces an August 31 deadline to qualify for roughly 10.4 billion euros ($12.2 billion) from the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund while grappling with a budget deficit and weak economic growth.

Magyar has also pledged to end Hungary’s dependence on Russian energy by 2035, and energy cooperation was expected to feature prominently in talks with Poland.

Warsaw is reportedly considering offering Hungary access to U.S. liquefied natural gas via a new terminal in the Baltic port city of Gdansk, which is due to begin operations in 2028.

Warsaw and Budapest were also expected to discuss support for Ukraine and the future of the Visegrád Group, which includes Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

Additionally, Magyar said he would inform Polish authorities about what he knows regarding former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who is wanted by prosecutors in Warsaw on abuse-of-power allegations. Ziobro reportedly fled to the United States after receiving asylum in Hungary under Orbán’s government.

UKRAINE TALKS

Separately, Hungarian and Ukrainian officials planned talks this week on the rights of roughly 150,000 ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine, an issue that strained ties during Orbán’s tenure.

Magyar has said he hopes to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in western Ukraine, where most ethnic Hungarians live.

However, he has also made clear that he does not support fast-track EU membership for war-torn Ukraine amid concerns about the impact on Hungary’s economy.

Back in Budapest, Magyar intensified pressure on Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok, an Orbán ally, to resign, calling him a “puppet of the failed system.”

Sulyok rejected the demand in an interview published Monday by Hungarian news site Index.hu, saying there was “no legal reason or constitutional justification” for him to step down.

PRESIDENT UNDER PRESSURE

Magyar has warned that if Sulyok refuses to resign voluntarily, his government could use its constitutional majority in parliament to amend legislation and force him from office.

Sulyok told Index.hu that the president must express the nation’s unity and rejected suggestions that the April election amounted to a “regime change,” describing it instead as a change of government.

In response, Magyar wrote on social media platform Facebook that Hungary needed a president “not loyal to any political camp” and repeated his demand for Sulyok’s resignation.

Magyar, 45, also opened several major government properties to the public over the weekend to expose what he called the luxury enjoyed by those in power during the Orbán era, while many Hungarians still face poverty and hospitals struggle with shortages ranging from toilet paper to disinfectant.

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