Hungary

Several EU countries, including Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Finland, will boycott ministerial meetings organized by Hungary during its presidency of the EU Council to protest Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's meetings with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.

Electricity consumption is increasing due to the heat, blackout schedules are being applied throughout the day, with more blackouts after 1 p. m., and imports and emergency assistance from neighboring countries are expected. After an energy infrastructure facility in the Rivne region came under enemy attack overnight, the response to the attack continues.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's "peacekeeping mission" visits to Moscow and Beijing during Hungary's EU presidency have angered the EU, which may strip Hungary of its presidency within weeks because Orbán's diplomacy undermines the bloc's unity against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Due to the increase in electricity consumption with the start of the working week and hot weather, rolling blackouts are carried out throughout the day, with fewer blackouts before 2 p. m. and more blackouts after 2 p.m.

During a meeting between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, they discussed strengthening cooperation between China and the EU.

EU ambassadors will discuss Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's recent visits to Russia, among others.

On July 8, blackout schedules have been canceled until 14:00 across Ukraine due to lower than expected electricity consumption, but restrictions are expected to be tightened in the evening, from 19:00 to 22:00.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called China a key power in creating conditions for peace in Russia's war against Ukraine during his visit to Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

After visiting Kyiv and Moscow, the Hungarian leader arrived in China on a "peace mission. " Before that, he announced "unexpected visits".

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's plane flew over Russia toward China, indicating that he is headed to China after recent visits to Kyiv, Moscow, and Azerbaijan.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's visit to moscow and calls for peace talks are intended to distract the West and undermine support for Ukraine, the Institute for War Studies believes.

Far-right Dutch and Spanish parties are planning to join Hungarian Prime Minister Orban's new right-wing alliance in the European Parliament, potentially undermining Italian Prime Minister Meloni's power.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made his first public appearance since surviving an assassination attempt in May, speaking at a ceremony where he supported Hungarian leader Viktor Orban's visit to moscow and spoke out against progressive ideologies.

After a visit to Kyiv and Moscow, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the positions of Ukraine and Russia are very far apart, requiring many steps to bring the war closer to an end.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, where they had a "frank conversation" for almost three hours, including about Ukraine.

Ukrainian swimmers Maryna Alekseeva and Vladyslava Alekseeva won gold in the Super Final of the World Cup in Rhythmic Swimming held in Budapest.

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg expects Hungarian Prime Minister Orban to discuss his visit to Moscow during the upcoming NATO summit in Washington.

Putin said he is ready to outline the nuances of his proposals for a "peaceful settlement" of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine at a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reacted to Zelenskyy's statement that Hungary would be "an important tool to make the first step towards peace" in Ukraine. Tusk wondered in whose "hands is this instrument".

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visits Moscow to meet with Putin, but European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasizes that "appeasement will not stop Putin" and only "unity and determination will pave the way for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. "

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Moscow on Friday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of his "peacekeeping mission," his spokesman confirmed.

Due to Russian attacks and the summer heat, Ukraine is facing electricity shortages, introducing hourly blackout schedules and receiving electricity imports from 5 countries and emergency aid from the EU.

The new EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles do not apply to hybrid cars, allowing Chinese automakers to continue selling partially electric hybrids in Europe at lower tariffs, although they face competition from European manufacturers in this segment.

Zelenskyy rejected Orban's ceasefire proposal, citing a lack of trust in Putin and Russia's history of violating agreements, and warned that Russia could use the temporary ceasefire to regroup and launch a new invasion.

Several European countries are negotiating to continue receiving Russian gas through Ukraine after the current transit contract expires in 2024, despite the ongoing war.

Since the introduction of martial law, Ukrainian border guards have stopped 1,125 bribery attempts totaling more than UAH 12. 6 million, with most of the attempts made by Ukrainian men trying to travel abroad illegally.

For the sake of Ukraine's interests, Ukraine is open to "working with everyone and solving problems," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, commenting on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's visit to Kyiv.

Zelenskyy and Orban discussed how Hungary can demonstrate leadership in preparing for the second Peace Summit, with the possibility of organizing it this year.

During Hungary's presidency of the EU Council, Prime Minister Viktor Orban promised to help Ukraine in every way possible, as he said during a joint press conference with President Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

Ukraine and Hungary discussed the opening of the first Ukrainian school in Hungary, with Hungary agreeing to finance it to meet the needs of Ukrainian children temporarily staying in the country.