russia

Bulgaria seeks to impose high taxes on the Russian gas transit to Hungary and Serbia, a move that both the Serbian and Hungarian governments declared to be hostile. It is symbolical that the joint Serbian-Hungarian statement was issued during Viktor Orbán’s and Aleksandar Vučić’s Beijing trip, amidst negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hungary is increasingly isolated within the EU, while government-affiliated newspaper Magyar Nemzet suspects Washington's involvement in the Bulgarian move.

A Moscow-based research organisation, possessing privileges and a history somewhat resembling those of the so-called “spy bank”, seems to have restarted its activities and opened a trade representation in the Hungarian capital in 2022. The true motives behind the decision remain a mystery as the organisation’s partners either remain silent or deny involvement.