Welcome back to Global Briefing, where we focus on planned reforms supporting Europe Hungarythe prospect of Israel-Hezbollah internal ceasefire Lebanonand Poland strengthen relations with Japan and South Korea.
Removing Orban’s ‘Puppets’
Just a few days after the Hungarian opposition party Tisza won a a resounding victory in parliamentary elections on Sunday, Tisza leader and now Prime Minister-elect Peter Magyar called on Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok to resign immediately after the formation of a new government. Sulyok “does not deserve to represent the unity of the Hungarian nation,” Magyar he wrote on X on Wednesday over a photo of them meeting at Budapest’s Sandor Palace. “He is not fit to serve as a guardian of the law. He is not fit to serve as a moral authority or role model.”
Welcome back to Global Briefing, where we focus on planned reforms supporting Europe Hungarythe prospect of Israel-Hezbollah internal ceasefire Lebanonand Poland strengthen relations with Japan and South Korea.
Removing Orban’s ‘Puppets’
Just a few days after the Hungarian opposition party Tisza won a a resounding victory in parliamentary elections on Sunday, Tisza leader and now Prime Minister-elect Peter Magyar called on Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok to resign immediately after the formation of a new government. Sulyok “does not deserve to represent the unity of the Hungarian nation,” Magyar he wrote on X on Wednesday over a photo of them meeting at Budapest’s Sandor Palace. “He is not fit to serve as a guardian of the law. He is not fit to serve as a moral authority or role model.”
Hungary’s Tisza party won more than two-thirds of the parliamentary seats at the weekend, ending Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year reign as head of government with the Fidesz party. Although Magyar is not expected to take power until after Hungary’s parliament returns to its first session after the election, which must be held before May 12, centre-right, pro-European politician he has already used his great popularity to explain what he wants the first few months of his administration to be like.
One of Magyar’s biggest priorities is to eliminate what he called “puppets and poles“They should leave of their own accord instead of waiting for us to fire them because we will fire them,” Magyar said during his victory speech late Sunday. In particular, Magyar has threatened to amend the country’s constitution to pressure Sulyok and other officials appointed by Orban to step down. Sulyok was elected in 2024 by Fides of Orban’s party.
Magyar also hopes to use his party’s strong mandate to roll back Orban’s so-called rule of law reforms. By doing so, Magyar aims to get the release closer 10 trillion ($11.8 billion) in frozen European Union disaster recovery funds before they expire in August.
Among the many anti-corruption measures on Magyar’s to-do list, Tisza leader looking to rejoin The European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the EU branch responsible for investigating financial crimes. Rejoining would give European officials the power to investigate fraud cases involving the Orban administration. It will also support Magyar’s wider efforts to strengthen the independence of the Hungarian judiciary.
Magyar has also announced restoration plans freedom of the media. “Every Hungarian deserves a public service media that broadcasts the truth,” Magyar told state radio. He said he would suspend state media networks, which he has called a “propaganda machine” for Orban’s government, until his government passes a media law and establishes a new media authority to create “a professional environment for state media to do what it is meant to do.”
Magyar has also vowed to leave Hungary Russian energy as part of Tisza’s big promise to move the country closer to Western partners. Hungary receives large amounts of crude oil through Russia’s Druzhba pipeline and gets most of its natural gas through contracts with Moscow’s state-owned company, Gazprom. Its nuclear reactors also rely on Russian state-owned Rosatom.
The EU has promised to eliminate imports of Russian natural gas by the end of 2027. Although Magyar he agrees that this timeline is impossible for Hungary, he has said that he aims to be completely cut off by 2035.
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What we’re after
A possible ceasefire. Under pressure from the United States, Israel’s security cabinet summoned Wednesday to discuss the possibility of a one-week ceasefire in Lebanon. This is happening one day after the United States called a a rare meeting between the government of Israel and Lebanon to discuss how to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah. According to a US statement issued after Tuesday’s meeting, the three countries have agreed to “start direct negotiations” to end the dispute.
However, Beirut has no direct control over Hezbollah, and none of the Iranian-backed group’s representatives attended Tuesday’s talks. Hezbollah leader Qassem Naim at first be damned negotiations, calling it a conspiracy to force the agency group to disarm. However, Hezbollah’s senior official Ibrahim al-Moussawi said Reuters Wednesday that diplomatic efforts by Iran and other regional actors could bring about a settlement agreement soon, although he did not say whether Hezbollah would comply.
Iran has previously threatened to pull out of its two-week ceasefire with the US if Israel does not end its attacks on Hezbollah; However, Israel and the United States have argued that Lebanon is not part of US-Iran peace agreement.
Meanwhile, fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah it continued on Wednesday, as Israel hit two vehicles on the coastal highway south of Beirut and Hezbollah fired rockets at 10 locations in northern Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement on Wednesday that he had ordered the Israel Defense Forces the day before to “continue to strengthen the security zone and expand to the east,” meaning regional zone southern Lebanon which Israel has said it intends to occupy and control even after the war with Hezbollah ends.
Warsaw’s defense agenda. Poland and Japan agreed on Wednesday to raise theirs bilateral relations for “deep and strategic cooperation,” citing the need for closer cooperation to help bring peace to the Russia-Ukraine and Middle East conflicts.
“Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security are closely related,” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk during their meeting in Tokyo.
Wednesday’s summit was part of Tusk’s wider tour of East Asia this week, where he also improved Poland’s relations with South Korea. Time to stop there, Tusk explained Seoul as “Warsaw’s most important partner after the United States, especially in the defense industry.” Tusk and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung agreed Monday to expand defense cooperation under a $44.2 billion framework signed in 2022; South Korea has become one of Poland’s biggest arms suppliers in recent years.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland has attempted to do just that modernize his army for fear that it could be Moscow’s next target; Poland shares a 144-mile border with the Russian region of Kaliningrad. In 2024, Warsaw became greater defense spending in relation to the GDP in NATO (by 4.12 percent), and tied with Kyiv to become the 15th largest defense consumer in US dollars in the world (spending 28.4 billion dollars).
“The abandoned crisis.” Sudan’s civil war—often described as global worst human disaster-entered its fourth year on Wednesday when international attention it remains fixed on the Middle East. “This sad and punishing anniversary marks another year in which the world has failed to meet the challenges of Sudan,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said.
Clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Force (RSF) have broken out to be killed nearly 60,000 people, pushed nearly 800,000 people into severe malnutrition, and displaced an estimated 13 million others. Nearly two-thirds of the country’s population needs some form of humanitarian assistance, but only 63 percent of the nation’s health facilities remain operational. And with Iran’s war driving up oil costs, food prices in Sudan are becoming increasingly unaffordable—threatening to make an already bad situation worse.
The US and regional powers have tried (and failed) to broker a ceasefire between the Sudanese army and the RSF. But mounting evidence suggests that foreign governments, such as United Arab Emiratesthey are funding the militant group behind the scenes, and intensifying the fighting. The RSF has been accused of committing atrocities against civilians, including ethnic cleansing, mass murder, tortureand sexual harassment; The group denies these claims. The Sudanese army has also been the suspect to carry out attacks against civilians.
Earlier this week, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan described the conflict as “abandoned crisis“—an opinion that has been supported by the Secretary General of Amnesty International Agnès Callamard: “The conflict in Sudan has not been forgotten; it is ignored and ignored on purpose,” Callamard he said on Tuesday.
Odds and Ends
Foreign Policy we’d like to wish a happy birthday to Fatou, the world’s oldest chimpanzee living in captivity! Instead of brownies and ice cream (FP’s World Brief writer’s favorite treat), Fatou—at least 65 years old—celebration his long life on Monday with a feast of tomatoes, garlic, beets and lettuce. Fatou is the oldest resident of Germany’s Berlin Zoo, and these days, she prefers to spend her time enjoying a little peace and quiet. Here’s to many more years!
