B Hungary News Today

On a cold night in Hungary's capital, shoppers at one of Europe's most famous outdoor Christmas markets browsed through food stalls of steaming local specialties and sipped from paper cups of hot mulled wine. A holiday light show played on the facade of the St. Stephen's Basilica.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban demanded on Monday that Ukraine's membership in the European Union and billions of euros in funding meant for the war-torn country be taken off the agenda at a summit of the bloc's leaders next week.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Hungary's capital in December, his second trip to Budapest this year at a time when both countries remain the only NATO members not to have ratified Sweden's accession into the trans-Atlantic military alliance.

Interior ministers from six European Union countries on Monday said their nations had agreed to step up efforts to protect the bloc from illegal immigration and target groups of human smugglers that operate on its borders.

Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, said in an interview the only way to end the war in Ukraine is to "call back Trump."

Tens of thousands of Hungarians flocked to Budapest's main square Sunday for Pope Francis' final Mass, gathering on the banks of the Danube as the pontiff wrapped up a weekend visit to the heart of Europe with pleas for a peaceful end to Russia's war next door.

Pope Francis thanked Hungarians on Saturday for welcoming Ukrainian refugees and urged them to help anyone in need, as he begged for a culture of charity in a country where the prime minister has justified firm anti-immigration policies with fears that migration threatens Europe's Christian culture.

The openly gay ambassador whom President Biden sent to staunchly conservative Hungary is facing a firestorm of criticism in Budapest, where pro-government media accuse him of violating diplomatic protocols, meddling in the judiciary and undermining the country's traditional values.

For the second year running, Hungary will host a conference in May of mainly U.S. and European conservatives as its right-wing populist government, largely isolated in Europe, seeks allies with like-minded movements further afield.

The most romantic of chess openings doesn't get many dates these days.