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Europe Today: Vance rallies behind Orbán in Hungary election campaign’s final week
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Tune in to Europe Today, Euronews' flagship morning programme at 8 am Brussels time. In just 20 minutes, we bring you up to speed on the biggest news of the day.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/04/07/europe-today-vance-rallies-behind-orban-in-hungary-election-campaigns-final-week
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NewsTranscript
00:14Good morning, it is Tuesday, April 7th. I'm Maeve McMahon and you're watching Europe Today,
00:20your daily dose of European news and analysis, live here on Euronews.
00:25Coming up just days before Hungary's parliamentary elections, US Vice President J.D. Vance is due in Budapest today.
00:32Vance will attend a campaign rally and hold a joint press conference with Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
00:38We'll be bringing you the latest from our reporter on the ground.
00:41Meanwhile, Viktor Orban has held emergency talks after explosives were reportedly found near a pipeline carrying Russian gas to Hungary.
00:49The development comes as his party trails behind in opinion polls ahead of this weekend's vote.
00:55But first, EU Council President Antonio Costa has said targeting civilian infrastructure would be illegal and unacceptable.
01:03His comments follow escalating tensions after US President Donald Trump threatened strikes on Iranian infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz
01:11is not reopened.
01:12Speaking on Truth Social, Donald Trump used foul language, saying Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day, all
01:20wrapped up in one in Iran.
01:22There'll be nothing like it. Open the Strait or you'll be living in hell.
01:27For the latest, we can now cross over to Doha, where your news correspondent Adel Halim is standing by for
01:33us this morning.
01:34Good morning, Adel. Thanks so much for joining us.
01:36Look, this Trump deadline is approaching very fast, but what exactly should we read into here?
01:43Yeah, Maeve, the clock is really ticking now.
01:45We're less than 18 hours away from that 8 p.m. Washington deadline imposed by US President Donald Trump for
01:51Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz,
01:53a vital shipping route that Tehran says is open but closed to its enemies.
01:58Over the Easter weekend, the rhetoric really ramped up.
02:01Trump warned Iran would be, quote, living in hell if a deal was not reached.
02:06Now, Tehran hit back just as strongly.
02:07Speaking to the Associated Press, Iran's culture minister called the US president unstable
02:11and delusional, saying his statements aren't taken seriously.
02:14There was a diplomatic off-ramp where a potential 45-day ceasefire proposal from Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey.
02:21But Iran's foreign minister rejected it outright, calling it illogical.
02:24Now, in a lengthy press conference on Monday, President Trump laid out in very stark terms
02:28what could happen if Iran doesn't comply.
02:31Take a listen.
02:32They have a period of, well, till tomorrow at 8 o'clock.
02:38I gave them an extension.
02:39They asked for an extension of seven days, right?
02:42I can tell you they're negotiating, we think, in good faith.
02:45We're giving them till tomorrow, 8 o'clock Eastern time.
02:49And after that, they're going to have no bridges.
02:52They're going to have no power plants.
02:56Stone ages, yeah.
02:59President Donald Trump there.
03:00And beyond his various statements, of course, the South Park's natural gas field has been
03:05hit again.
03:05And Gulf countries are also still being targeted, Adele.
03:10That's right.
03:11It's adding real anxiety to the region.
03:13Iran's South Park's petrochemical complex is a critical site, part of the world's largest
03:18natural gas reserve shared with Qatar.
03:20And it's the second time it's been targeted in a few weeks.
03:22But there are also signs of diplomacy.
03:24Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Thani received a phone call
03:30from Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas al-Rakshi yesterday.
03:33And speaking to our Euronews colleagues in Dubai, the diplomatic advisor to UAE's president
03:37says a ceasefire is not enough and is calling for a durable security plan.
03:42But with the conflict now in its sixth week, Maeve, and that deadline just hours away, the
03:48situation remains extremely tense.
03:50Okay.
03:51Adele Halem, thank you so much for that live update there.
03:53From Doha.
03:54Now back here in Europe, the clock is ticking towards the biggest election of the year for
03:59the European Union taking place this very Sunday in Hungary.
04:03Just a few days ahead of the big day though, Serbia said.
04:06They found explosives at the Hungarian border very close to a pipeline delivering Russian gas
04:11to Hungary.
04:12The case evolved fast into a campaign topic in Hungary with the government pointing fingers
04:17at Ukraine and the opposition calling it a false flag operation.
04:22Our Hungarian correspondent, Sander Zeros, is here with me this morning in the studio to
04:25tell us exactly what is going on.
04:28Fill us in.
04:29Good morning, Maeve.
04:30Yes, indeed.
04:31Sunday morning, the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, announced that two bags of explosive
04:36were found close to the border with Hungary next to the pipeline, which is called Turkish
04:41Stream.
04:41This is a pipeline delivering Russian natural gas to Hungary and to Serbia, and this is a
04:47major component of Hungary's energy supplies.
04:50Now, Viktor Orbán immediately called for a security college meeting, and then he ordered soldiers
04:56to guard the pipeline in Hungary, and he also started to point fingers at Ukraine.
05:02Let's listen to what he said.
05:08Ukraine has been working for years to cut Europe off from Russian energy.
05:12They blew up Nord Stream, shut down the gas pipeline supplying Hungary, and this year, by
05:17closing the friendship pipeline, they placed Hungary under an oil blockade, while the Russian
05:22section of the talk stream is under continuous military attack.
05:26Ukraine's efforts posed a direct threat to Hungary.
05:33Viktor Orbán there, and Sander, how is this issue even related to the elections, and how
05:37are Hungarians perceiving the claims of Viktor Orbán?
05:39Well, in fact, you saw what Orbán said.
05:42He is accusing Ukraine.
05:43This is nothing new.
05:44Hungary campaigns against Ukraine since many, many months.
05:48By the way, Ukraine rejected those allegations.
05:52Now, very interesting that the opposition is talking about a false flag operation.
05:57Peter Magyar said that Orbán is using this issue in order to hijack public opinion and
06:02to postpone or cancel the elections.
06:05Now, I have to quote what Peter Magyar said.
06:08Many people suggested that something might accidentally happen in Serbia, possibly involving a gas pipeline,
06:14one week before the Hungarian elections.
06:17I want to make it clear that Viktor Orbán will not be able to prevent next Sunday's election,
06:23Peter Magyar said.
06:24In addition to this, two security experts last week already said publicly that something is in
06:31the making, a possible false flag operation, and one of these experts explicitly mentioned
06:37that it could happen in Serbia.
06:39By the way, Serbia is saying that mentioning Ukraine is a disinformation.
06:44They are investigating an illegal migrant who might be involved in this attempt.
06:50Okay.
06:50Shanna Ziros, thank you so much for all those details on what will be a very busy week for you.
06:55And meanwhile, the Trump administration is pulling out all the stops to support its preferred
07:00candidate in these elections.
07:02The U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance will be spending the next two days on the campaign trail
07:07with Viktor Orbán to, quote, celebrate the deep ties between the two countries.
07:11For more on this relationship between President Trump and Viktor Orbán,
07:15here's Euronews' correspondent, Zoltan Zibozegi, from Budapest.
07:20Today, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is arriving in Budapest for an official visit.
07:24But it's hard to tell whether this is really a diplomatic event or more of a campaign stop.
07:30Hungary is heeding into parliamentary election this Sunday.
07:34And for the first time in 16 years, polls shows Viktor Orbán could lose his position as a prime minister.
07:41In these final days, he is doing everything he can to turn the result around.
07:46In recent years, Hungary's government has become increasingly isolated within the EU
07:51because it's anti-Ukraine stance and euroskeptic billboard campaigns.
07:57Orbán is now trying to show that he is not alone, that he still has strong allies.
08:02He often points to his good relationship with powerful leaders all around the world, from Israel to Russia.
08:09But his most important ally is clearly Donald Trump.
08:13Viktor Orbán praised Donald Trump's national security strategy
08:17as the most important and interesting document of recent years,
08:21saying it finally recognizes the civilizational crisis Europe faces.
08:27For months, Orbán's party, Fidesz tried to organize a Hungarian visit for U.S. president in the campaign
08:33to publicly show his support with the sovereignists.
08:37But with all the ongoing international conflicts, Trump hasn't made the trip.
08:42There were rumors for a while that Vice President Wenz will come instead,
08:47for example, on CPEC conference, but it never happened.
08:50The fact that J.D. Wenz is now visiting Hungary just five days before the election sends a clear message.
08:57In Washington, and especially around Trump's circle in Mar-a-Lago,
09:02there's a strong preference for Orbán to win a fifth term.
09:06In earlier speeches, Wenz has even described Orbán as a kind of defender of conservative Christian Europe.
09:13They will meet this afternoon, but the big question is now
09:17whether that kind of support will be enough to help Fidesz close the roughly 20-point gap
09:24they are facing in the polls.
09:29Sultan Zhiboshegi there reporting for us on J.D. Vance's trip to Budapest today,
09:33which will bring the whole city to a standstill.
09:36And this trip, of course, is being closely monitored here in Brussels,
09:39especially given J.D. Vance's speech last year at the Munich Security Conference,
09:43where he upset a lot of Europeans.
09:45For more, we can bring in now your news as EU editor.
09:48So Brussels are watching this very closely.
09:51Well, watching this very closely and the election itself, of course,
09:55when you talk to any diplomat in Brussels and also around the capitals,
09:58I'll tell you the Hungarian election is the election to watch this year.
10:03It's the most important, the most consequential.
10:06And obviously on Sunday, everyone in this town is going to be monitoring those results.
10:11I think at this stage, Brussels is paying attention, but it's also interesting.
10:16We see that the U.S. is really now throwing support behind Orban.
10:20And yet the approach from the European Union has been the complete opposite,
10:24to really do low profile, to not get involved, to not respond, to really not snap back.
10:30And you saw in those pictures that when you walk around Budapest,
10:33the face of Ursula von der Leyen is in posters,
10:35which sort of portray this as a head of the commission that is going to destroy Europe.
10:40And Viktor Orban is a polar opposite, the man who is going to face her.
10:43And still, we've seen very little from the commission.
10:46We also know and have reported this extensively on Euronews,
10:49that for months now, the commission has put everything on hold.
10:53Major decisions on Hungary.
10:55Obviously, legal procedures are still pending.
10:56All of this frozen, not to be used in the election.
11:01The one thing, however, that Brussels has been keen on not doing,
11:05and it's obviously keeping this as the ace, really the leverage that they have over the Hungarians,
11:10really truly is the money.
11:12Obviously, we've talked about billions of euros that have been frozen.
11:15Hungary also applied for a loan to spend money, cash into weapons, around 17 billion euros.
11:20That has been frozen.
11:21It's the only country to not have its defense plan approved.
11:25And this idea that nothing will move until the election happens.
11:29The other point also we should note is that when it comes to the relationship now between Brussels and Budapest,
11:34I was there the last time for the election.
11:36Obviously, there's been tensions now playing out for years.
11:38But this time, what really changes is there's a very strong security aspect.
11:42Obviously, this is not just about an ideological clash, about the politics,
11:46but really now for a number of member states, Hungary now is so close to Russia.
11:50The tapes, the leaks, the conversations among the foreign ministers of the two countries,
11:55that has now really crossed the line.
11:56Because now you talk about defense and key security capabilities,
12:00and that is now seen really as a red line.
12:03The one thing I would note just very briefly also is when you talk to diplomats in Brussels,
12:06they tell you whichever way this goes, the relationship will have to change.
12:10If Magyar wins, obviously that's a new government.
12:12If Orban wins, he could lose a lot of seats, and obviously that could translate into perhaps a weaker Orban.
12:19So whatever happens on Sunday, something will have to change.
12:22And just briefly, you mentioned Peter Magyar.
12:23How does Brussels view him?
12:25You know, it's an interesting one because in a way, they have kept a very calculated distance.
12:30Brussels doesn't comment about Peter Magyar.
12:32They've also been low profile on that.
12:33He obviously does not want to get involved in Brussels,
12:36and we've not seen him really in the European institutions.
12:39Because back in Budapest, one of the attack lines from the Orban government is to say,
12:43ultimately, this guy, look, he's just a puppet of Ursula von der Leyen and the political establishment.
12:49What is interesting, however, there's been a number of moves that have been seen in Brussels.
12:53One is the fact that he says he wants to unlock the cash.
12:55If you want to unlock the funding, then it means obviously something is going to have to change in terms
13:00of rule of law.
13:01The fact that he went to Munich Security Conference, that was also perceived as, look,
13:04this could be a Hungary within NATO now that becomes less problematic.
13:08And then third, you know, his foreign policy and his advisors around it,
13:12they are seen as perhaps more moderate and more pro-European.
13:15But as I say, it's both an opportunity, but also an enigma and a lot of distance for the time
13:20being.
13:20OK, we'll keep a close eye on it.
13:21And you'll, of course, be in Hungary for that very important election.
13:24So do stay tuned to Euronews for that.
13:26And keep an eye on Euronews.com for more analysis.
13:28Now, moving on, as the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East drag on,
13:33this April marks three years since Sudan's civil war broke out
13:37when a power struggle began between two branches of its armed forces.
13:41For the view from the ground, we spoke to Kristen Davis, the UNHCR ambassador
13:45and the American actress best known for her role as Charlotte in Sex and the City.
13:50She recently visited the East African country.
13:53With millions on the move and a conflict at risk of spreading,
13:56Kristen Davis started by telling us not to forget about one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent years.
14:02For some reason, media does not seem to want to cover it,
14:05which I find really interesting and I can't explain why.
14:08But I do know that I work with UNHCR.
14:11I'm a goodwill ambassador.
14:12And I knew that the war was ongoing and that many, many people have been displaced.
14:1712 million people have been displaced, which is a stunning number,
14:22especially because it isn't even something that's being reported on.
14:25So we just went a few weeks back.
14:27I went to South Sudan because I wanted to see for myself what was happening.
14:31Every time that I have gone on a trip to a refugee camp or a refugee area where people are
14:36crossing from conflict,
14:38like really life or death level conflict,
14:41it's always upsetting, but at the same time it's also inspiring because the people are so strong.
14:46And in this situation, it's largely women and children and a lot of very, very young children.
14:51And they've had to travel far distances with very, very dangerous situations.
14:57So when they cross the border, they're relieved, but they're also, you know, stressed.
15:01They don't know where they're going to go.
15:02They don't know what they're going to do.
15:03They need to find a safe place for their children, just like you or I would feel.
15:07Obviously, they did nothing wrong to make them be a refugee.
15:11They're just trying to keep their family alive.
15:13And many of them told me stories of their husbands being taken out of the house and shot in front
15:18of them.
15:18And do they feel alone?
15:19Do they feel like the international community has forgotten about them?
15:22I don't think so.
15:22No, I don't think so.
15:24Because UNHCR is there.
15:25We're there.
15:26That is our mandate to be there for refugees, for people who are displaced.
15:30And we will do everything in our power to be there and to give them life-saving aid right away
15:36in an emergency.
15:37Now, there have been funding cuts, which is pretty upsetting.
15:41I could tell that that was your next question.
15:42This was the first trip that I had made since the funding cuts.
15:46So that was upsetting and depressing also because I've never been in a situation where we were not able to
15:53give them a hot food, a hot meal,
15:55when they have originally arrived to the camps.
15:59That was kind of upsetting.
16:01We had the high-protein biscuits that we were giving to children five and under and to pregnant women.
16:08But I haven't ever been in a situation where we couldn't say, here's your water, here's your tent, here's your
16:13hot meal.
16:14It was just really so deeply troubling after everything that they've been through,
16:20after the violence that they've been through, that we can't feed them a hot meal.
16:24But what is the future for these people?
16:25You described millions of people on the move, millions of people displaced.
16:29Where will these people go?
16:30Obviously, I'm sure they just want to go home.
16:31They do want to go home.
16:33And, I mean, one can only hope that some larger forces will intervene that will bring peace
16:39or at least encourage the players to put down their arms and stop the fighting.
16:45The region has obviously been through, you know, many, many, many struggles in the past,
16:51which I feel like in some ways influences the fact that people aren't talking about it in the media.
16:56I think there's some level of fatigue, which is unfortunate because it's still people's lives.
17:02You know, every single country there, and they're very poor countries,
17:05but every single country is making a huge effort to accommodate the people
17:09and give them the services that they can give them.
17:13They're very poor countries, again.
17:14You know, so you don't think about necessarily that that's where refugees are,
17:19but largely that I think 70 percent of refugees are in really poor countries
17:23and they never make it to Europe or the United States.
17:27You know, most people, I think, have the misperception that people are just coming freely.
17:31That's so not the case.
17:32I think it's one percent get resettled.
17:35So they're mostly in the poor neighboring countries who can be very, very welcoming,
17:41which is hugely important.
17:42You know, they may not have a huge amount of funding for them,
17:45but the warmth of the welcome is powerful.
17:49I think they just want to go home at this point.
17:51And it's so many people that it's hard to even imagine, you know,
17:55how they will be resettled into these new countries that they're in.
17:59But I do think everyone's making a huge effort for that to be a positive experience for them.
18:03And meanwhile, Kristen, the war, the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, it's entering its second month.
18:08It's turned the whole world upside down.
18:10Yeah.
18:11Could we be in this for the long haul, you think?
18:13I hope not.
18:14I hope not.
18:15I really hope not.
18:16It's obviously so deeply, deeply upsetting.
18:20And I was just talking to my UNHCR colleagues and over a million people have been displaced in Lebanon already.
18:27And it's just begun.
18:29So it's deeply, deeply disturbing.
18:31And I hope that people can, you know, find a way to de-escalate.
18:39I mean, this is what we always hoped for.
18:41No one wants war.
18:42And what would your final message of hope be to our viewers who are tuning in today,
18:46feeling very overwhelmed and stressed about the state of the world?
18:49The world is chaotic right now.
18:51I fully get that.
18:52But I feel that in terms of refugees and displaced people, empathy is more powerful in some ways even than
19:00funds.
19:01You know, like understanding that they did not cause this, that they, the people who are displaced are not at
19:08fault.
19:08Nothing they did wrong happened that made them be displaced, right?
19:12Just having that empathy.
19:13And all of us know someone who's a refugee or the child of a refugee.
19:17You know, there's people around you that you may not even realize are refugees.
19:21And having some understanding of what they've been through, being able to maybe just say a kind word to them.
19:27There's so many tiny things you can do that improve the world and that also make you feel better.
19:32I find that for myself.
19:34You know, it's a way for you to feel like, okay, I can make a positive difference in my little
19:38world right now.
19:39And that's something.
19:41Okay.
19:41Kristen Davis, thank you so much.
19:43It's so lovely to have you with us.
19:45Thank you for having me.
19:49Kristen Davis there, the American actress and the UNHCR Goodwill ambassador speaking to me earlier.
19:55Well, that brings this edition of Europe Today to an end.
19:57Thank you so much for tuning in, as always.
19:59For more news and analysis, do visit euronews.com.
20:02Take care and see you very soon.
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