Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is called Putinʼs Trojan horse in the EU in an analytical article on Foreign Policy. The publication investigates the reasons for the close connection between the Hungarian and Russian leaders, due to which Hungary prevents EU sanctions against Russia. András Rach from the German Council of Foreign Affairs believes that Hungaryʼs position towards Russia can be explained by a combination of objective and subjective factors. The first is energy dependence inherited from Soviet times. The second is Orbanʼs fascination with the Russian anti-liberal agenda. In 2014, Orbán declared Hungary an illiberal democracy and directly named the Russian Federation as a model for himself. In addition, Fidesz, the ruling party in Hungary led by Orbán, has business interests in the Russian Federation, such as OTP bank and the oil and gas company MOL. It is surprising that until 2009, Orbán was a staunch critic of Russia, but sometime then his tone changed dramatically. Probably, Putin managed to convert Orbán to his side, from where there is no way back, says former Fidesz member Zuzhanna Selenia.
The Economist writes about how the war in Ukraine will affect the global economy. The publicationʼs sister analytical company, the Economist Intelligence Unit, published a forecast on February 15, according to which the world GDP in 2022 should grow by 3.9%. But the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine fundamentally changes this forecast, writes The Economist, and now we are talking about only 2.8% growth in world GDP. The EUI provided individual forecasts of the growth rates of the economies of the G20 countries. Among these states, Russia will be the most affected, with its economy likely to shrink by 10% instead of growing by 2.6%, as predicted at the beginning of the year. The projected growth rate of Germany follows immediately after the Russian Federation, with 1.3%. And some countries will benefit from the new conditions ― for example, the economies of Saudi Arabia, Argentina, and Brazil will grow due to the increase in oil and grain prices.
The editorial board of the South China Morning Post (a Hong Kong publication controlled by a private company from China) believes that China can become a mediator in the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, when the conditions are right. The publication refers to Zelenskyʼs first interview since February 24, in which he calls on Beijing to "pressure Moscow to comply with international norms." Currently, China, along with more than 30 other countries, maintain a neutral position regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war. Beijing believes that the war should be ended diplomatically, and that the sanctions are ineffective, or they are introduced "for political gain“”, the editorial office writes. At the same time, the column says, Beijing is doing a lot for peace in Ukraine: in particular, it has sent humanitarian aid worth millions of dollars, and Chinese state media reports that Beijing is "making efforts to defuse tensions and promote dialogue." The editorial board believes that the USA and other Western countries, by supplying weapons to Ukraine, only contribute to increasing tension and undermine the efforts of China, which can become a mediator in the negotiations.
The author of The New Yorker Hua Hsu writes about Nikita Zhemerenko from Kharkiv, whom he met on eBay when he was looking for amateur music recordings. Hsu writes about Nikitaʼs childhood and how he became interested in music in the 2000s. In a few years, Nikita managed to collect a music collection, which he documented on his Instagram profile. At the beginning of the year, the hero of the story rented a small studio in which he made guitar cables and equipment. He dreamed of learning to make his own guitars, but the war interrupted these plans. Since his Kharkiv apartment was destroyed, Nikita began selling part of the collection on eBay to raise funds for repairs and assistance to the Armed Forces. Hsu befriended Nikita and talks about his life through the prism of music. Now Nikita, his girlfriend Lisa and their pets live in Kyiv, but they dream of returning to Kharkiv and rebuilding their lives there.