In a stunning display of diplomatic hustle, Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar has convinced the European Commission to unlock €16.4bn in frozen EU funds - nearly 13% of the country’s state budget - after years of Orbán-era frostiness. Magyar, who won a landslide last month on a promise to “bring home” the cash, celebrated by using the Commission’s own lectern to trash his predecessor. The deal comes with strings: Budapest must complete reforms by 31 August to access €10bn, including restoring academic freedoms for €2.2bn, and reverse a 2021 anti-LGBTQ law that the European Court of Justice ruled discriminatory. Another €500m was held back over those rights. Meanwhile, the EU also agreed to consider €16.2bn in cheap defence loans under the SAFE programme, though that’s separate. Magyar insisted there’s no formal link to Ukraine’s EU accession talks, but he did dangle an 11-point proposal on minority rights for ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine, hinting he’d meet Zelenskyy in a Hungarian-speaking region to “open a genuinely new chapter.”
Elsewhere in Eastern Europe, Romania is fuming after a Russian drone - identified as a Geran 2 model - crashed into an apartment block in Galați, wounding two people. President Nicușor Dan called it “the most serious” such incident on Romanian soil since 2022, adding that Romania and Ukraine will “accelerate” co-producing drones to defend NATO’s eastern flank. Russia, predictably, denied everything: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed no evidence exists, and President Putin suggested the drone might be Ukrainian, offering to investigate if Moscow gets the wreckage. France summoned the Russian ambassador over the strike and a spate of attacks on Ukrainian civilians. Bulgaria also threw a wrench into US-NATO relations, announcing it will terminate authorisation for US KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling planes at Sofia airport by end of next month, citing a visa dispute - Bulgarians are among the last EU nationals without visa-free US tourist entry. President Radev said he “doesn’t have a positive response” on whether he raised it with Trump.
Ukraine, meanwhile, is hitting back: drone strikes have intensified on Russian military supply routes, including the M-14 highway to Melitopol and Mariupol, according to the Institute for the Study of War. The think tank says Ukraine’s mid-range and frontline drone campaigns are “limiting Russia’s ability to transport personnel” and that Kyiv made net battlefield gains this year for the first time since 2023. In a separate development, the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union will consider suspending Armenia later this year over its EU membership pursuit, calling for a referendum that includes staying in the Moscow-led group. Putin and other EAEU leaders met in Astana to discuss it.
Back to Magyar’s big win: The deal marks a definitive reset after 16 years of Orbán-era isolation. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed confidence in “a very solid architecture and landing zone for rule of law topics,” though some in Brussels warned about implementation issues from Poland’s 2023 experience. Magyar, buoyed by a constitutional majority, said Hungary will “do our best” to meet targets by 31 August. He also took aim at Hungary’s President Tamás Sulyok, an Orbán loyalist, demanding his resignation by 31 March or face removal. On the EU migration pact, Magyar blamed Orbán for failing to stop it, then launched into a confusing critique that mostly served as another excuse to bash his predecessor. All in all, a good day for Hungary’s bank account, if not for its diplomatic subtlety.