Hungary's New Leader Signals Shift in Foreign Policy

Tue Apr 14 2026 03:06:06 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Péter Magyar, Hungary's newly elected Prime Minister, emphasizes a new approach to international relations, offering to speak with Putin only to advocate for peace in Ukraine.

Péter Magyar, who recently secured a decisive election victory, expressed his willingness to communicate with Russian President Vladimir Putin if he were to make the call. In his inaugural press conference, he drew a clear line from the previous administration's alliances, stating he would urge Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Aiming for a shift towards closer relations with the EU, Magyar has already begun discussions with several European leaders.

Péter Magyar has said he has already spoken to 10 European leaders, a day after his landslide victory brought an end to Viktor Orbán's 16-year continuous rule in Hungary.

But he said he would not be calling Vladimir Putin, a close partner of Orbán, even though he would speak to him if the Russian leader rang.

If Vladimir Putin calls I'll pick up the phone, he told reporters during a three-hour marathon press conference to mark his Tisza party's election success on Sunday.

I don't think it'll happen, he stressed, but if we did talk I'd tell him to please, after four years, put an end to the killing and end this war.

Moscow has said it respects Magyar's victory and expects to retain 'pragmatic' relations with Budapest. Magyar told journalists that he would not be phoning Trump either, but if Trump called him, he would say he was glad as they were 'strong allies in Nato'.

A former insider from Orbán's own Fidesz party, Magyar launched a grassroots movement to put an end to corruption and cronyism in the government. The latest preliminary results give Tisza 136 seats in parliament, enabling the party to change the constitution.

Magyar said Hungarian voters had not voted just for a change of government but for complete regime change. Hungary has chosen Europe, was the assessment of Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, who was one of the leaders he had already spoken to.

While Magyar's approach reflects a significant shift from Orbán's policies, which often blamed external parties like the EU and Ukraine's leadership for ongoing issues, he emphasizes solidarity with Ukraine and denounces the senseless loss of life in the conflict.