He repeatedly rejects EU criticism of Orb\u00e1n\u2019s Hungary<\/a> as a \u201cscandal.\u201d<\/p>\n He eventually acknowledges how unusual it is for him to be here, though:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the reason why I\u2019m here. This is unprecedented. It\u2019s unprecedented for an American vice-president to come the week before an election. <\/p>\n The reason why we\u2019re doing it is because we thought there were so much garbage happening against Viktor in this election, that we had to show that there are actually a lot of people and a lot of friends across the world who recognise that Viktor and his government are doing a good job, and they\u2019re important partners for peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Circling back to the issue of Ukraine, Vance says the US has been \u201cdisappointed by a lot of the political leadership in Europe<\/a>,\u201d who he says \u201cdo not seem particularly interested in solving this particular conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n He says only some leaders have been helpful \u2013 he namechecks Italy\u2019s Giorgia Meloni and \u201csome of the western European capitals, \u2026 at least behind the scenes\u201d \u2013 but says Orb\u00e1n \u201cis the one who has encouraged us to truly understand this\u201d conflict.<\/p>\n He says the work will go on, but Ukraine and Russia need to decide to move, too \u2013 seemingly implying that Kyiv should make territorial concessions to end the conflict.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I would say to both the Russians and the Ukrainians is, you know, we\u2019re talking about haggling at this point over a few square kilometres of territory in one direction or another. Is that worth losing hundreds of thousands of additional Russian and Ukrainian young men? Is that worth an additional months or even years of higher energy prices and economic devastation? <\/p>\n We think the answer is clearly no. But it takes, you know, two to tango. So while Viktor and president Trump are going to continue to work towards a peaceful settlement, fundamentally we can only open the door. The Russians and the Ukrainians have to walk through it.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.59 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n EU to \u2018convey concerns\u2019 to US about Vance\u2019s Hungary intervention and accusations of interference<\/p>\n The European Commission\u2019s spokespeople \u2013 three of them, no less \u2013 have reluctantly reacted to JD Vance\u2019s comments alleging the EU\u2019s unprecedented interference in the Hungarian elections.<\/p>\n At first they insisted they wouldn\u2019t respond to his comments, even as they very pointedly noted the context of his visit \u2013 just days before the vote on Sunday.<\/p>\n The commission\u2019s tech spokesperson Thomas Regnier somewhat mockingly said that \u201cwhat the European bureaucrats have been doing is [moving] to set out a strong framework to make sure that the elections remain in the hands of our citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n While his comments were seemingly about the regulation and use of social media platforms during election campaigns in Europe, it felt like there was a bit of an underlying message to the US VP, too.<\/p>\n But eventually, pushed a bit by several journalists, they went further, with the EU\u2019s foreign spokesperson Anitta Hipper saying:<\/p>\n \u201cWe have also our diplomatic channels and we will be using these also to convey our concerns to our US counterparts.\u201d<\/p>\n Pressed further on what the nature of the concerns was, however, she said the EU was \u201cnot in the business of disclosing what we talk about with our partners.\u201d<\/p>\n The commission\u2019s deputy chief spokesperson Arianna Podest\u00e0 added:<\/p>\n \u201cWe have appropriate channels, appropriate frameworks, diplomatic contacts, [and] the joint statement. That is a framework in which we discuss matters of relevance with our partners. And that is where we will be bringing the discussions with the United States if they consider it something worthwhile pursuing with us.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.20 EDT<\/p>\n New Median poll suggests Hungarian opposition could win big on Sunday<\/p>\n And just as JD Vance wraps up his speech, once again repeatedly endorsing Viktor Orb\u00e1n<\/a> to be re-elected this weekend, a new Median poll for hvg.hu appears to suggest that the opposition Tisza Party, led by P\u00e9ter Magyar, could be on course to win big this Sunday.<\/p>\n P\u00e9ter Magyar, leader of the opposition Tisza party, holds a Hungarian flag during Hungary\u2019s National Day celebrations in Budapest, Hungary. Photograph: Bernadett Szab\u00f3\/Reuters<\/p>\n Their latest analysis<\/a> \u2013 looking at its five surveys \u2013 suggest the opposition could command as many as 138 to 143 seats in the next parliament, which would give it a two-thirds majority (there are 199 seats in total).<\/p>\n This is a critical point given how the Hungarian statutes, known as \u201ccardinal laws\u201d, require super majorities to reform laws in some critical areas, such as the judiciary.<\/p>\n A failure to get a supermajority would radically limit the new government\u2019s ability to reform Orb\u00e1n-era laws and resolve longstanding tensions with Brussels by making changes needed to unlock EU funds.<\/p>\n According to their calculations, Viktor Orb\u00e1n\u2019s Fidesz would get between 49 and 55 seats, with further 5-6 seats going to the far-right Mi Haz\u00e1nk party.<\/p>\n Looking at vote share, Median\u2019s poll implied 48% support for Tisza, with 30% for Fidesz, and 4% for Mi Haz\u00e1nk. 15% of voters did not want to answer or were not planning to vote.<\/p>\n As always with all polls \u2013 published at any time, and even more so in the final week of the campaign \u2013 it\u2019s best to be very, very careful with reading too much from them, but it\u2019s still worth noting.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.20 EDT<\/p>\n Vance urges to ‘stay involved, be patient’ and not ‘check out’ over political disagreements<\/p>\n Vance then goes into a longer discussion on the state of (primarily) higher education and his regular criticism of what he sees as a left-wing academia.<\/p>\n In a soft ball question to finish the panel on, he gets asked about his advice to younger people and to be fair to him makes a decent joke saying:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d say enjoy your youth while it lasts, because one day you\u2019ll wake up and you\u2019ll be 41, and you\u2019ll have a glass of wine at dinner and wake up with a headache the next morning and be talking to this fine gentleman.\u201d<\/p>\n (That\u2019s a resounding endorsement of Hungarian wine, which to be fair is indeed great.)<\/p>\n But then he issues a rallying cry to the conservative students in the audience, telling them to \u201cresist the temptation to think that victory is immediate, or that we\u2019re going to win back our civilisation through instant gratification.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think a lot of people this is particularly true in the United States of America. If they see something that the administration does, they don\u2019t like, they say, oh, that\u2019s not what we voted for. We\u2019re going to check out a politics. <\/p>\n No, no, no, no. That\u2019s the exact wrong response. If we do something you don\u2019t like, the response should be to get more involved, to make your voice heard, and to try to push things in the direction that you want them to be pushed.<\/p>\n Our civilisation was not built overnight. It\u2019s not going to be saved overnight. And so what I\u2019d encourage you to do is stay involved, be patient, and don\u2019t let disappointment turn to checking out of the system entirely.\u201d<\/p>\n He then ends with a call to action:<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to take power back from those people and build the kind of institutions that can actually save our societies. It will not happen overnight. It will not happen in the term of one prime minister or one president. But it will happen so long as we keep our faith in God and we work hard to achieve it, that\u2019s what we have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n He gets a decent ovation and that wraps up the event.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Iran truce is ‘fragile,’ JD Vance says, as he hints at disagreements within Iranian regime and warns against attempts to sabotage deal<\/p>\n On Iran, JD Vance says this is why he was late to the meeting as he was \u201cup very late last night\u201d dealing with the Middle East.<\/p>\n He says the military aim in Iran \u2013 or \u201cdecimating the Iranian military\u201d \u2013 has been \u201cachieved,\u201d and the focus shifted to re-opening the straits with Trump telling Iran to \u201cstop trying to hold the world\u2019s economy hostage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s exactly the agreement that we came to last night.\u201d<\/p>\n He calls the truce \u201cfragile,\u201d but references Trump\u2019s comments that \u201cthe Iranians are better negotiators than they are fighters.\u201d<\/p>\n He says some people in Iran replied \u201cvery favourable\u201d to the proposed truce, but others \u201care basically lying about what we have accomplished militarily\u201d and \u201cabout the nature of the agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is why I say this is a fragile truce. You have people who clearly want to come to the negotiating table and work with us to find a good deal, and then you have people who are lying about even the fragile truce that we\u2019ve already struck.\u201d<\/p>\n He ends with a thinly veiled warning to the Iranian leadership:<\/p>\n \u201cThe president \u2026 has told me and he\u2019s told the entire negotiating team, the secretary of state, the special envoy, Steve Witkoff, he said: go and work in good faith to come to an agreement. \u2026 If the Iranians are willing, in good faith, to work with us, I think we can make an agreement; if they\u2019re going to lie, if they\u2019re going to cheat, if they\u2019re going to try to prevent even the fragile truce that we\u2019ve set up from taking place, then they\u2019re not going to be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n He says:<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s told us to come to the negotiating table. But if the Iranians don\u2019t do the exact same thing, they\u2019re going to find out that the president, the United States, is not one to mess around. <\/p>\n He\u2019s impatient. He\u2019s impatient to make progress. He has told us to negotiate in good faith. And I think if they negotiate in good faith, we will be able to find a deal. That\u2019s a big if. And ultimately it\u2019s up to the Iranians how they negotiate. I hope they make the right decision.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.57 EDT<\/p>\n JD Vance criticises EU and UK energy policies<\/p>\n Repeating his lines from last night, Vance also talks about how much he and the US administration love Europe<\/a> and want it to succeed and that this is where they harsh criticism come from.<\/p>\n He specifically criticises the energy policies of European partners, including specifically that of the UK (\u201cwhich is way underinvested in their energy resources\u201d).<\/p>\n He says:<\/p>\n \u201cBut is it a scandal that middle class Brits, that people who are working hard and playing by the rules, can\u2019t afford to heat their home, can\u2019t afford to transport themselves to work because their leadership has made energy so expensive? \u2026<\/p>\n It is not magical that the United States has lower energy costs in the United Kingdom. It\u2019s because we\u2019ve made smart decisions and their leadership is not. They could change course, and we hope that they will.\u201d<\/p>\n He then turns to criticise the EU\u2019s scrutiny of US social media platforms, attacking the bloc\u2019s \u201cbureaucracy\u201d in Brussels.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.55 EDT<\/p>\n Vance repeatedly praises Orb\u00e1n on Ukraine as he acknowledges his ‘unprecedented’ Budapest visit<\/p>\n Praising Orb\u00e1n further, Vance says he \u201cdoes a good job, because he does,\u201d and is a \u201cvery, very important partner for peace.\u201d<\/p>\n He says \u201cmost of the European political capitals have not been nearly as helpful to the cause of peace between Russia and Ukraine as Viktor Orb\u00e1n<\/a> has.\u201d<\/p>\n He repeatedly rejects EU criticism of Orb\u00e1n\u2019s Hungary<\/a> as a \u201cscandal.\u201d<\/p>\n He eventually acknowledges how unusual it is for him to be here, though:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the reason why I\u2019m here. This is unprecedented. It\u2019s unprecedented for an American vice-president to come the week before an election. <\/p>\n The reason why we\u2019re doing it is because we thought there were so much garbage happening against Viktor in this election, that we had to show that there are actually a lot of people and a lot of friends across the world who recognise that Viktor and his government are doing a good job, and they\u2019re important partners for peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Circling back to the issue of Ukraine, Vance says the US has been \u201cdisappointed by a lot of the political leadership in Europe<\/a>,\u201d who he says \u201cdo not seem particularly interested in solving this particular conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n He says only some leaders have been helpful \u2013 he namechecks Italy\u2019s Giorgia Meloni and \u201csome of the western European capitals, \u2026 at least behind the scenes\u201d \u2013 but says Orb\u00e1n \u201cis the one who has encouraged us to truly understand this\u201d conflict.<\/p>\n He says the work will go on, but Ukraine and Russia need to decide to move, too \u2013 seemingly implying that Kyiv should make territorial concessions to end the conflict.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I would say to both the Russians and the Ukrainians is, you know, we\u2019re talking about haggling at this point over a few square kilometres of territory in one direction or another. Is that worth losing hundreds of thousands of additional Russian and Ukrainian young men? Is that worth an additional months or even years of higher energy prices and economic devastation? <\/p>\n We think the answer is clearly no. But it takes, you know, two to tango. So while Viktor and president Trump are going to continue to work towards a peaceful settlement, fundamentally we can only open the door. The Russians and the Ukrainians have to walk through it.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.59 EDT<\/p>\n In further comments, Vance says it\u2019s \u201cdarkly ironic that people are accusing me of engaging in some kind of foreign influence.\u201d<\/p>\n Erm.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> JD Vance literally says that the Hungarians should \u201creject these foreign influence operations\u201d of foreign endorsements without even a hint of realising the irony of sitting and making that comment while actively campaigning for Orb\u00e1n in Budapest four days before the election.<\/p>\n Amazing.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.41 EDT<\/p>\n Oh, you can see where this is going to go.<\/p>\n In his second question, the moderator tries to bait JD Vance<\/a> into criticising Ukraine, as the chair asks about what he says are \u201cUkrainian intelligence services attempting to influence\u201d elections in the US or Hungary.<\/p>\n He begins by making a reference to recent deeply controversial comments from Ukraine\u2019s Volodymyr Zelenskyy who appeared to threaten to \u201cgive this person\u2019s address to our armed forces\u201d while speaking about Orb\u00e1n in comments at a government meeting.<\/p>\n He says Zelenskyy\u2019s comments were \u201ccompletely scandalous,\u201d and \u201cpreposterous.\u201d<\/p>\n He then turns to the main theme of his visit, talking about what he sees as foreign interference in the Hungarian election.<\/p>\n He makes this argument:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve also been told that the vice-president of the United States coming and saying that Viktor Orb\u00e1n is doing a good job and is a helpful statesman to the cause of peace, that\u2019s foreign influence. <\/p>\n But what\u2019s not foreign influence is when the European Union threatens billions of dollars withheld from Hungary because you guys protect your borders; that\u2019s apparently not foreign influence.<\/p>\n What\u2019s not foreign influence is when the Ukrainians shut down pipelines, causing suffering among the Hungarian people in an effort to influence an election that\u2019s allegedly not foreign influence. <\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t pass the smell test.\u201d<\/p>\n He says the US \u201chave never threatened Hungary, saying, if you don\u2019t vote for Viktor Orb\u00e1n<\/a>, you are not going to get this and that.\u201d<\/p>\n He goes on to say:<\/p>\n \u201cWe would never do that because we respect the Hungarian people enough to respect their sovereignty. The fact that so many foreign actors, whether they\u2019re transnational organisations like the bureaucrats in Brussels or whether it\u2019s foreign governments, are literally threatening the Hungarian people vote this way or we\u2019re going to exact our revenge on you \u2013 that should make you very angry.\u201d<\/p>\n But still, he repeats his endorsement of Orb\u00e1n as he says that the defence of Hungary\u2019s sovereignty needs \u201cthe Hungarian people \u2026 reject these foreign influence operations, vote for who they want to be their leader, reject the Brussels bureucrats.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The event begins with JD Vance praising the MCC, as he says he is here after a personal request from Viktor Orb\u00e1n to come and speak to its students.<\/p>\n He goes straight into his usual criticism of what he sees as left-wing elites saying \u201cso much of the academia has tried to destroy the foundations of western civilisation,\u201d so \u201cyou can actually have an institution that tries to build up the foundations of western civilisation.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Here we go. <\/p>\n The Budapest event with JD Vance now gets under way.<\/p>\n I will obviously bring you all the key lines here.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Vance\u2019s whirlwind visit may not help Orb\u00e1n to the election victory he craves \u2014 analysis in Budapest<\/p>\n As we are still waiting for JD Vance<\/a> to show up at the MCC, you may want to read this analysis from our own Ashifa Kassam who is in Budapest and following the US VP\u2019s activities in the Hungarian capital.<\/p>\n US vice-president JD Vance (R) and Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n shake hands at a pre-election event at MTK Sportpark in Budapest, Hungary. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Here is her take on the events of the last 24 hours:<\/p>\n \u201cVance\u2019s visit thrusts the US administration into a hard-fought campaign in which most polls suggest<\/a> Orb\u00e1n is facing the possibility of losing his 16-year grip on power. <\/p>\n As Hungarians grapple with economic stagnation, deteriorating public services and rampant corruption, Orb\u00e1n is facing an unprecedented challenge from P\u00e9ter Magyar, a former top member of Orb\u00e1n\u2019s Fidesz party. \u2026<\/p>\n The day laid bare the shared playbook between Orb\u00e1n and the Maga movement as the leaders railed against Brussels, migration, Ukraine and praised what Vance described as \u2018the values of western civilisation.\u2019<\/p>\n Even as the visit made headlines across the globe, analysts doubted it would do much to shift the election result.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n For his speech in Budapest \u2013 about to start any moment now \u2013 JD Vance will be welcomed at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium by its chair, Bal\u00e1zs Orb\u00e1n, who also just happens to be the political director in Viktor Orb\u00e1n\u2019s office (otherwise, no relation).<\/p>\n The discussion will be chaired by the MCC\u2019s director general, Zolt\u00e1n Szalai.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.05 EDT<\/p>\n To give you a taste of what\u2019s likely coming, a panel directly preceding JD Vance\u2019s \u201cfireside chat\u201d in Budapest is all about how Orb\u00e1n is this great strategist and visionary and the only European leader who really wants to end the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n But in reality, Ukraine and Hungary<\/a> are actually locked in an increasingly bitter dispute about all sorts of things, with Orb\u00e1n actively using Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his political campaigning, and his government actively blocking EU funding for Kyiv and further sanctions on Russia.<\/p>\n Just yesterday, it emerged that Orb\u00e1n offered to go to great lengths to help Vladimir Putin, telling the Russian leader \u201cI am at your service\u201d in an October call, prompting further scrutiny of Budapest\u2019s ties to the Kremlin just as JD Vance arrived in the city.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.54 EDT<\/p>\n Ukraine ‘ready to respond in kind’ if Russia agrees to ceasefire, Zelenskyy says after Iran deal news<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Ukraine\u2019s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has responded to the Iran ceasefire news by saying that he remains keen to end the Russian invasion on his country with a deal, too.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n \u201cA ceasefire is the right decision that leads to ending the war. It means saving lives, abandoning the destruction of cities and villages, and allowing power plants and other infrastructure to operate normally \u2013 and thus provides the time and conditions necessary for diplomacy to deliver results. Ukraine has always called for a ceasefire in the war waged by Russia here in Europe against our state and our people, and we support the ceasefire in the Middle East and the Gulf that paves the way for diplomatic efforts. <\/p>\n Ukraine tells Russia once again: we are ready to respond in kind if the Russians stop their strikes.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that Ukraine had been involved in the Middle East and the Gulf too, \u201chelping protect lives.\u201d<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n \u201cUkrainian expert military teams will continue to work in the region to help further develop security capabilities. The situation in this region has global implications \u2013 any threats to security and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf amplify challenges for the economy and the cost of living in every country.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n In Budapest, it\u2019s less than 30 minutes before JD Vance<\/a> is expected at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium for his \u201cfireside chat.\u201d<\/p>\n (There is probably something to be said here about why an 11am chat with no fire in sight is called a \u201cfireside chat,\u201d but let\u2019s not get distracted.)<\/p>\n I will bring you the latest on his speech when it begins.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Spain ‘will not applaud those who set world on fire because they show up with bucket,’ S\u00e1nchez responds to Trump’s ceasefire in Madrid<\/p>\n In one particularly punchy response to the Middle East ceasefire news, Spain\u2019s socialist prime minister, Pedro S\u00e1nchez, who has been perhaps the most outspoken western critic of Trump\u2019s war in Iran, has said his administration \u201cwill not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket\u201d.<\/p>\n He said<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cCeasefires are always good news \u2013 especially if they lead to a just and lasting peace. But this momentary relief cannot make us forget the chaos, the destruction, and the lives lost.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Spanish government will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket. What\u2019s needed now are diplomacy, international legality, and PEACE.\u201d<\/p>\n For more Middle East news, follow our live blog here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Morning opening: And now breathe US vice-president JD Vance continues his stay in Budapest, where he is expected to address the conservative Mathias Corvinus Collegium this morning on the back of his yesterday\u2019s \u201cnot-at-all endorsement\u201d of the embattled prime minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n<\/a>, five days out from the key election on Sunday.<\/p>\n His comments yesterday caused quite a stir after he repeatedly blasted the European Union<\/a> for allegedly interfering with the vote, before repeatedly endorsing Orb\u00e1n, openly campaigning for him and thus effectively interfering with the election on his own.<\/p>\n Erm. Make it make sense.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s see what he says today.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, European leaders woke up this morning to much-welcome news that, after all, Donald Trump did not follow through on his earlier threat that \u201ca whole civilisation will die\u201d as he struck a provisional ceasefire deal with Iran.<\/p>\n The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, just welcomed the news saying<\/a> the agreement will \u201cbring much-needed de-escalation\u201d and a chance for \u201cnegotiations for an enduring solution to this conflict [to] continue.\u201d<\/p>\n France\u2019s Emmanuel Macron said the deal was \u201ca very good thing,\u201d and something to build on.<\/p>\n \u201cWe expect, in the coming days and weeks, that it will be fully respected throughout the region and will allow negotiations to take place,\u201d Macron said, adding he would want Lebanon to be included in the ceasefire, too.<\/p>\n Finland\u2019s influential president, Alexander Stubb, also praised the move, saying<\/a> he \u201ccontinues to support all the efforts to end the war and to build this ceasefire into a more permanent arrangement in the strait of Hormuz and in the whole Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Jakub](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775647389_161_Jakub_Krupa.png\")
Jakub Krupa<\/p>\nJakub Krupa<\/p>\n![\"Ashifa](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ashifa_Kassam.png\")
Ashifa Kassam<\/p>\n![\"Sam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775647390_466_Sam_Jones.png\")
Sam Jones<\/p>\nJakub Krupa<\/p>\n