Meloni and Magyar cement post-Orbán ties

Italy and Hungary signaled Thursday that ties will remain strong after Viktor Orbán’s departure, as his successor Péter Magyar and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni vowed close cooperation.

Meloni welcomed Magyar to Rome, writing on X that the relationship between the two countries “is strong and well-established, and we intend to continue strengthening it further.”

“Long live Italian–Hungarian friendship!” Magyar added.

The incoming Hungarian prime minister confirmed the two leaders had “a constructive and forward-looking meeting” and that the two were “closely aligned on many issues.”

Meloni has been a close ally of Orbán on the European political stage since she took office in 2022, sharing policy priorities such as curbing irregular migration and acting as a bridge between the Hungarian leader and the rest of the EU on the war in Ukraine.

Since winning the Hungarian election last month and ending Orbán’s 16 years in power, Magyar has dropped his country’s opposition to the EU’s €90 billion loan to Kyiv and travelled to Brussels, hoping the Commission will release Hungary’s post-pandemic recovery fund. The money had been withheld over Budapest’s breaches of EU law under Orbán.

Magyar is expected to take office May 9.