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Vance ‘sad Orbán lost’ but says US will work with new Magyar government in Hungary – Europe live | World news
Morning opening: JD Vance ‘sad that Orbán lost,’ but will work with new Magyar government
Jakub Krupa
Hungarian election winner Péter Magyar has been invited to meet with the Hungarian president, Tamás Sulyok, on Wednesday to discuss the government-formation process following the stunning win over Viktor Orbán in Sunday’s election.
The meeting could be a bit awkward, given Magyar’s repeated calls for Sulyok, an Orbán loyalist, to resign from the office.
“He was appointed to sign everything; every document that he is presented with – whether it’s the menu or the constitution or the laws – so we don’t need people like that. To me, he is not the president,” he said yesterday.
Erm, nice weather, Mr President, huh?
Speaking of presidents, we finally heard from the US vice-president JD Vance overnight as he defended his decision to travel to Budapest last week to interfere with the Hungarian election support Orbán in the final days of the campaign.
Appearing on Fox News, he said he was “said that [Orbán] lost,” but insisted the intervention “was not about Russia, and fundamentally, it was not about Europe,” merely a sign of thanks from the US administration for defending its interests against the EU bureaucracy.
“He’s one of the few European leaders we’ve seen who’s been willing to stand up to the bureaucracy in Brussels that has been very, very bad for the United States. So for example, when you see a European bureaucrat go after an American company, sometimes the only vote ‘no,’ the only vote to protect that American interest, has been Viktor Orbán.”
Vance added that the White House “certainly knew there was a very good chance that Viktor would lose that election,” but he wanted to “stand behind a person who had stood by us for a very long time.”
He also insisted that Orbán “is a great guy who’s done a very good job,” before adding:
“I think that his legacy in Hungary is transformational, 16 years, fundamentally changing that country.”
Well, hard to disagree with that.
But in a sign that will be reassuring to the incoming Magyar administration, however, he declared that “we will work very well, I am sure, with the new prime minister of Hungary.”
I will bring you more reactions and news from across Europe during the day.
It’s Tuesday, 14 April 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Key events
Magyar set to make rare appearance on ‘propaganda’ state media on Wednesday
Hungarian election winner Péter Magyar is set to appear on the Hungarian state media on Wednesday as he prepares to overhaul the broadcasters he repeatedly accused of spreading propaganda benefiting the outgoing government of Viktor Orbán.
“Nothing lasts forever. The party-state is falling apart before our eyes,” he said in a post on social media.
It will be his first interview given to the state media in – this is not a typo – a year and a half, including the entire election campaign.
His intervention will be closely watched for hints on how he wants to reform the state TV and radio. During his press conference yesterday, he suggested he would suspend their operation until a new board gets put in place to ensure unbiased coverage, pointing to the BBC as one of his inspirations (Europe Live, Monday).
He is set to appear on Kossuth Rádió at 7:33 in the morning, and on M1 TV just after 8am local time.
Kremlin shifts tone on Hungary’s incoming prime minister after ‘pragmatic’ comments
Jakub Krupa
in Budapest
We are getting some interesting comments from the Kremlin in reaction to the Hungarian election over the weekend.
Reuters reported that Kremlin ruled out congratulating Péter Magyar on his win yesterday, saying Hungary was designated as “an unfriendly country” over its past support of the EU sanctions against Moscow.
That’s a peculiar line to take as that clearly didn’t bother them under the previous government, with both Viktor Orbán and his foreign minister Peter Szijjarto repeatedly meeting Vladimir Putin and other senior officials in Moscow, and infamously keeping very open lines with them to discuss EU policies, including on sanctions.
But the tone coming from the Kremlin has seemingly shifted a bit overnight, with Moscow saying today that it noted “with satisfaction” that the new leader of Hungary wanted to engage in a pragmatic dialogue with Moscow.
“For now, we can note with satisfaction, as far as we understand, his [Magyar’s] willingness to engage in pragmatic dialogue,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“In this instance, there is mutual willingness on our part, and we will then proceed to take our cue from the specific steps taken by the new Hungarian government.“
At his press conference yesterday, Magyar was extensively asked about his views on Russia and called for “pragmatic” relations between the countries (Europe Live, Monday).
He argued that Hungary “cannot change geography” as it still relied on energy supplies from Russia, even as he suggested he would push to diversify these sources in the future.
He also said that in case of a peace agreement in Ukraine he would support lifting of sanctions against Russia, even as he accepted that Moscow remained a security risk for Europe.
It is clear that the relationship between Budapest and Moscow will be very different to the one under Orbán, but it will be worth watching how it evolves.
Zelenskyy arrives in Berlin for talks with Merz
As mentioned earlier, Zelenskyy is in Berlin today for talks with Merz (and between their two governments).
He has just landed in central Berlin in the last half hour, and we should hear from both of them later today.
New Hungarian government can ‘do a lot’ to restore rule of law, leading MEP says
Jennifer Rankin
in Brussels
The European parliament’s lead MEP on Hungary has expressed hope that Péter Magyar’s incoming government can “do a lot” to restore the rule of law thanks to its sweeping parliamentary majority.
Tineke Strik, a Dutch Green MEP, who is the European parliament’s lead coordinator on Hungary and the rule of law, said “that even a deeply cemented electoral autocracy as [Viktor] Orbán has created can be overturned so overwhelmingly” was “bad news for autocrats” in general.
The incoming Hungarian government, she said, had to deal with EU institutions over two sets of rule-of-law issues:
The Dutch MEP is responsible for overseeing the article 7 process, long becalmed because EU member states could not find a majority to sanction Hungary.
Speaking to journalists, on her return from Budapest, she said:
“Magyar has promised to restore the rule of law, to respect the primacy of EU law and to combat corruption. And these are vital promises. And the big mandate that the voters have given to him also enable him to fulfil his promises. But it’s a complex operation which requires time and close cooperation with the EU.
In the light of the two-thirds majority we are hopeful that they are able to do a lot on the restoration [of the rule of law].”
Unlike Poland where a nationalist president stymied a new reformist government’s attempts to reform the courts, Hungary should face fewer obstacles, she said.
She also suggested EU authorities needed to show flexibility on deadlines – Hungary risks losing €10.4bn in long-frozen Covid recovery funds, unless there is an agreement by the end of August 2026.
On 16 June, the Hungarian government is due to face a long-scheduled hearing under the long-running article 7 procedure, to discuss what steps it is taking to address concerns about captured courts and systemic corruption. Previous governments have used these occasions to mount aggressive denials.
In contrast, Strik said the 16 June hearing would be the “perfect occasion for a discussion in the [EU] Council where Magyar can present complete proposals with complete timelines”.
Magyar would be represented by his EU affairs minister at the 16 June hearing, which falls a few days before what is likely to be his first EU summit on 18-19 June.
‘Now I’m hopeful’: Hungarians welcome change after 16 years of Orbán rule
Ashifa Kassam and Flora Garamvolgyi
in Budapest
In a small plaza facing Budapest’s Nyugati train station, Gabor, 40, confessed that he was very, very hungover after the election night.
“I partied all night,” he said, laughing. “It was crazy, I thought Fidesz was going to win. Now I’m really hopeful.”
It was a hint of the mix of excitement, disbelief and hope that has gripped much of Hungary. After 16 years of Viktor Orbán’s efforts to transform the country into a “petri dish for illiberalism”, Hungarians overwhelmingly cast their ballots to oust Orbán and his Fidesz party from power in Sunday’s election.
Instead, the record turnout translated into a landslide victory for the opposition Tisza party in a result that sent thousands of jubilant supporters pouring into the streets of Budapest on Sunday night.
Led by Péter Magyar, the centre-right party won 138 of the parliament’s 199 seats, giving it the power to amend the constitution and potentially dismantle many of the key pillars that had sustained Orbán’s “illiberal democracy”.
“I’m so happy. I can’t quite believe that it happened,” said Eva, 37. “This morning I was bracing for something to happen – like they would say they found some massive number of ballots that would change the results. Now I’m starting to believe that it could be real.”
The election result was due, in part, to the mobilisation of young people who voted against Orbán’s government. Many of them had come of age as the country plunged in press freedom rankings, faced accusations of no longer being a full democracy and became the most corrupt country in the EU.
As the results rolled in on Sunday, an impromptu party sprang up on the banks of the Danube, spilling across the city as strangers hugged and high-fived each other in metro stations and people chanted “We did it!” and “It’s over” against a backdrop of honking vehicles.
Zelenskyy to meet Merz in Berlin for talks on German-Ukrainian cooperation
Elsewhere, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with German chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin today, as part of intergovernmental consultations between the two countries.
AFP noted that Germany has become Ukraine’s biggest backer in its four-year war against Russia’s invasion as the United States under President Donald Trump has cut back on support, and Kyiv is keen to keep Berlin on side.
The two administrations are also expected to discuss joint defence ventures, including their work on drones.
Several ministers are expected to part in the meeting, including foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, energy minister Denys Shmyhal, and economy minister Oleksii Soboley.
Morning opening: JD Vance ‘sad that Orbán lost,’ but will work with new Magyar government
Jakub Krupa
Hungarian election winner Péter Magyar has been invited to meet with the Hungarian president, Tamás Sulyok, on Wednesday to discuss the government-formation process following the stunning win over Viktor Orbán in Sunday’s election.
The meeting could be a bit awkward, given Magyar’s repeated calls for Sulyok, an Orbán loyalist, to resign from the office.
“He was appointed to sign everything; every document that he is presented with – whether it’s the menu or the constitution or the laws – so we don’t need people like that. To me, he is not the president,” he said yesterday.
Erm, nice weather, Mr President, huh?
Speaking of presidents, we finally heard from the US vice-president JD Vance overnight as he defended his decision to travel to Budapest last week to interfere with the Hungarian election support Orbán in the final days of the campaign.
Appearing on Fox News, he said he was “said that [Orbán] lost,” but insisted the intervention “was not about Russia, and fundamentally, it was not about Europe,” merely a sign of thanks from the US administration for defending its interests against the EU bureaucracy.
“He’s one of the few European leaders we’ve seen who’s been willing to stand up to the bureaucracy in Brussels that has been very, very bad for the United States. So for example, when you see a European bureaucrat go after an American company, sometimes the only vote ‘no,’ the only vote to protect that American interest, has been Viktor Orbán.”
Vance added that the White House “certainly knew there was a very good chance that Viktor would lose that election,” but he wanted to “stand behind a person who had stood by us for a very long time.”
He also insisted that Orbán “is a great guy who’s done a very good job,” before adding:
“I think that his legacy in Hungary is transformational, 16 years, fundamentally changing that country.”
Well, hard to disagree with that.
But in a sign that will be reassuring to the incoming Magyar administration, however, he declared that “we will work very well, I am sure, with the new prime minister of Hungary.”
I will bring you more reactions and news from across Europe during the day.
It’s Tuesday, 14 April 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Ex-players are back to commemorate when sponsors were added to shirts.
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Coventry City chase promotion to Premier League against Blackburn Rovers – live | Championship
Key events
Half-time: Blackburn 0-0 Coventry
Job half-done but not done at all well by Coventry. Rovers really should be leading and there’s work to do to claim the point that Cov need.
45+2 min: Wow, Rovers go so close, and it takes Latibeaudiere’s backside to block what is a goalbound shot from Morishita. Alebiosu has been excellent down the Rovers’ right flank. That’s the last of the half.
45 min: The aforementioned Rudoni’s free-kick, an attempt to get a cross in, is awful. Dear me. This has been nervy.
44 min: A rare Coventry sortie, DaSilva and Mason-Clark involved, the latter knocking wide when the ball drops low for him from a decent cross. They could have done with that Rudoni shot being far better. That’s as good as it’s got.
43 min: Rancour as Ribeiro is fouled, and the ball is called dead when Rovers were in a decent position. Then Morishita wants a throw-in, and is right to ask for it.
Dominic Booth
42 min: More from Dom Booth at Ewood: “The game has drifted into a bit of a lull, perhaps with Coventry safe in the knowledge a draw is good enough to seal promotion and Blackburn content with a point to aid their survival campaign. It has actually been the hosts who have been better in the middle portion of this first half; I’ve been particularly impressed with Ryoya Morishita, who is playing in the right No 10 position in O’Neill’s 3-4-3. Blackburn need to get the ball right to him and Ryan Alebiosu, whose crosses have asked questions of Coventry’s defence. All it takes is one Blackburn goal to wreak worry within the visiting ranks.”
40 min: Long ball out wide aimed for DaSilva, and jeers from the home crowd when the ball runs out.
38 min: Perhaps eyeing a Lampard pep talk, Coventry are passing the ball round in defence. But then they try to hurry it up, and are again offside. Frank Lampard is muttering away to his assistant, Joe Edwards, another Chelsea alumnus.
36 min: Were Blackburn to have a bit more quality in the final third, then they could be out of sight. Coventry are struggling here.
34 min: Blackburn continue to impress. Considering their injuries it’s amazing they are in such trouble. Morishita causes sincere trouble down the inside left position, and it takes Van Ewijk’s fine tackle to stop him meeting a loose ball.
32 min: Mason-Clark offside now. Coventry are a little hurried, anxious.
31 min: Coventry are 30 minutes in, and it’s not been at all easy. They haven’t managed to sustain the pressure they’d like to keep up. Simms gets to the byline, and Mason-Clark is the target. Atcheson, who has been excellent so far, makes another intervention.
28 min: Ohashi’s header hits the bar, Latibeaudiere failing to climb with the striker. Another fine cross from Alebiosu, though the Japanese striker is penalised for a push. That looked soft.
26 min: Coventry get a big chance, 36 passes completed and Rudoni has the chance to shoot. He hits the side-netting. That was poor, considering.
25 min: Matt Grimes, the playmaker, is dropping deep to try and force the issue, though Rovers’ Gardner-Hickman is following him everywhere.
22 min: Van Ewijk tries to set up a Cov attack from wing-back but Blackburn so go on the counter with Atcheson firing in a cross. Rushworth has been the busier keeper by far.
20 min: Coventry have been a little nervy here. Rovers are looking solid and full of adventure. They are playing for their lives. Coventry only need a point and that may not suit them. Lampard is a coach who likes his teams to attack.
18 min: More Cov nostalgia, from John Brennan: “My friend for reasons unknown to himself even had a Coventry City gear bag in college that he used to carry his clothes for the weekend. Every time I saw it, it was incongruous to me. Anyway, Coventry being back in the Premier League is great. My parents got Sky into the house for Christmas in 1999 and one of the first games I watched at home was Coventry beating Arsenal 3-2 with Robbie Keane scoring a delightful goal with the outside of his boot. That team with Keane & Cedric Roussel upfront and the two Moroccans of Chippo and Hadji in midfield were a fun watch back then.”
16 min: Neil Lavery gets in touch: “Hello John, 7,000 away fans at Ewood for a game that could decide promotion for them? How odd. Back in 2023 when Burnley were going for the title there that stand only held 2,000-ish…”
They must have built a bigger stand or something.
Dominic Booth
15 min: Dom Booth is at Ewood. “You wouldn’t have to be a football expert to sit in Ewood Park tonight and decipher which team were top of the table and which were battling relegation. And that’s based on the start both teams have made as well as the difference in supporter numbers. The vast swathes of empty seats in the home sections tell their own story just as the packed Coventry away end reflects a club on the rise. “Where we you when you were sh*t?” is the latest jibe from the Rovers fans – not that the Sky Blues supporters probably heard it, such is the din they are making. And their team are responding on the pitch with a confident start.”
14 min: There’s a delay as Onyeka, the Brentford loanee, goes down with a head injury.
13 min: Real let-off for Coventry as Ohashi gets a free header on goal. Nobody was marking him from the cross. Rovers are playing the better team. Ryan Alebiosu played a fine cross.
11 min: More Ohashi involvement, and he’s clear on goal, only for offside to haul him back. Carl Rushworth makes the save in any case.
10 min: Worrying moment for Ohashi when he is called back for a high kick. It was nothing more than a foul so no worries there. He’s walking on eggshells a bit, though.
9 min: Good historic info from Sky: it was at Ewood Park that Coventry, under Jimmy Hill, achieved promotion in April 1967. There’s a statue of Jim outside the Coventry Building Society Arena.
8 min: A long ball is aimed for Ellis Simms, but Atcheson clears from the Rovers defence. An early booking, for Rovers’ Ohashi when he loses the ball and then smashes into Grimes.
6 min: Great noise, and it’s coming from both sets of fans. Remember: Blackburn have plenty to play for. They can get to 51 points. That could be enough.
4 min: It’s all Coventry, with Matt Grimes’s cross causing havoc in the Rovers defence. They’re pinning back their opponents, and their back three are dominating possession.
3 min: First attack of the game from Coventry, Mason-Clarke seizing on a loose ball and then shooting. The shot is blocked.
Away we go at Ewood
1 min: There’s over 7,000 Cov fans here. A word from the club’s saviour, Mark Robins, now managing Stoke. Very nice about Doug King, the owner who removed him.
“They’re going up. I’m really pleased for them. Frank has done a fantastic job. He took over from me in difficult circumstances and he’s taken it to a different level. They will go up and they’ve got the stadium now and it looks certainly a lot more stable. Not only that, they’ve got a really good team, a top manager and they’ve done fantastically well.
“The owner has been incredible there, to be fair, and what he’s done for the club, the city and what plans they have when they eventually get up, I’m sure they’ll spend money and try to stay in there.”
The teams take to the field at Ewood Park. It’s all Coventry, the Jolly Boating song ringing out. It’s a bit more sparse in the home end, despite efforts from those in Warwickshire to get hold of tickets. The hill behind the Darwen End may well be full of Sky Blue, too.
Frank Lampard’s advice to his players: “Stay calm in your heads but not in your legs.”
Snappy.
Phil Rebbeck gets in touch: “In the early 1990s I was a university student living in Coventry and used to go to Highfield Road every now and then. The Sky Blues were away to local rivals Aston Villa on the last day of the season, still needing something out of the game. They contrived to concede a goal in the first minute and lost the game 2-0.
“However, results elsewhere went their way with Luton losing to already relegated Notts County. So Coventry managed another great escape on the last day and the three relegated teams were the aforementioned Luton and Notts County joined by a particularly hapless West Ham United.
“Still have a soft spot for them and will welcome them back in the Premier League being a Fulham fan!”
For Rovers, Eiran Cashin returns, replacing Harry the benched Pickering. Ryoya Morishita comes in for Nathan Redmond, also a substitute. Yuki Ohashi replaces Mathias Jorgensen as striker.
For Cov, two changes from Frank Lampard: Bobby Thomas into a back three while Ellis Simms is in for Haji Wright in the forward line. Brandon Thomas-Asante drops to the bench.
The teams
Blackburn: Toth, Atcheson, McLoughlin (c), Cashin, Alebiosu, Gardner-Hickman, Baradji, Montgomery, Ribeiro, Morishita, Ohashi. Subs: Pears, Pickering, De Neve, Hedges, Afolayan, O’Riordan, Redmond, Forshaw, Jorgensen
Coventry: Rushworth; Latibeaudiere, Thomas, Kitching; Van Ewijk, Onyeka, Grimes, Dasilva; Rudoni, Simms, Mason-Clark. Subs: Wilson, Woolfenden, Bidwell, Kesler-Hayden, Eccles, Thomas-|Asante, Torp, Haji Wright, Esse.
Coventry need just a draw, remember. The away tickets for this game are the hottest tickets in town since 1987 or The Specials reunion.
Blackburn are not out of the woods, of course. The picture at the bottom is made cloudier by the potential/probable points deduction headed West Brom’s way. Michael O’Neill, also the Northern Ireland manager, of course, has a fight on his hands. Tuesday’s defeat to Southampton, and no win since Good Friday has made things uncomfortable.
The excellent Nick Ames on the Championship promotion race and beyond.
In 2001, Cov’s run of being in the top division since 1967 came to an end after a defeat to Aston Villa. The Sky Blues had stayed up on the final day 10 times over that time though this was the penultimate games of the season. They closed out by being relegated alongside Bradford in a 0-0 draw.
Teams that day:
Aston Villa: James, Delaney, Wright, Southgate, Barry, Boateng, Taylor, Merson, Staunton, Dublin, Vassell. Subs: Angel, Ginola, Hendrie, Stone, Enckelman.
Coventry: Kirkland, Williams, Breen, Quinn, Telfer, Eustace, Carsley, Hadji, Hall, Bellamy, Hartson. Subs: Hedman, Edworthy, Zuniga, Strachan, Bothroyd.
Preamble
It was in 2001 that Coventry last played Premier League football. It’s been an odyssey since, taking in a new stadium, exile from that new stadium, relegation to the fourth tier and financial brinkmanship. Now, after a couple of near misses, they are on the way back. It may already be all but done but winning (or even drawing) at Blackburn would confirm it for Frank Lampard’s team.
Kick-off at Ewood Park is at 8pm BST. Join me.
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