Politics Hungary's new head of government seeks proximity to Poland
It is a visit with symbolic character: Hungary's new Prime Minister Peter Magyar has chosen Poland for his first trip abroad. The two-day trip began with a visit to Krakow on Tuesday evening.
20.05.2026, 05:45
20.05.2026, 05:46
SDA
On Wednesday, Magyar will meet the pro-European head of government Donald Tusk (10.00) and the right-wing conservative President Karol Nawrocki (12.00) in Warsaw.
In the afternoon, Magyar and Tusk will meet with Solidarnosc founder and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa in his home town of Gdansk. Afterwards, a swim in the crowd in Gdansk's old town is on the agenda: "Gdansk, Long Market, 4 pm. I invite everyone to take a walk with Hungary's head of government. There is an opportunity to congratulate!", Tusk wrote on X.
Tusk as a role model for Hungary's high-flyer Magyar?
"We need to talk about what unites us, not what divides us," said Magyar at the start of his visit to Krakow. The Hungarian is likely to expect valuable advice from Poland's head of government on how to reverse the dismantling of democracy and authoritarian tendencies in a country. The high-flyer achieved a two-thirds majority with his bourgeois Tisza party in the Hungarian parliamentary elections in April, replacing right-wing populist Viktor Orban after 16 years in power. Magyar has announced a change in the system.
Many see this as a parallel to Tusk. In the 2023 parliamentary elections, he managed to defeat the right-wing conservative PiS, which had ruled Poland for eight years, with a pro-European opposition alliance. Its controversial judicial reforms had led the country into an ongoing dispute with the EU Commission, which even ended up blocking funding.
Escape of Poland's former justice minister from Hungary becomes an issue
Tusk was able to ease relations with Brussels after taking office. However, his government is still struggling to dismantle the justice system, which the PiS had restructured according to its own ideas. Attempts to bring to justice representatives of the PiS government accused of corruption and abuse of office by the public prosecutor's office are also faltering.
This also includes a prominent case in which Hungary plays a role. Former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who is being investigated by the Polish public prosecutor's office on suspicion of corruption, among other things, fled to Hungary last year. He was granted asylum there by the then head of government Orban. When Magyar announced after his election victory that his country would no longer protect Ziobro, the PiS politician fled to the USA. Why Hungary did not prevent this will certainly be a topic of discussion between Magyar and Tusk.
Poland hopes for a change of course on Ukraine
In terms of foreign policy, Poland is hoping to regain a partner following the change of power in Hungary. Warsaw is one of the closest political and military allies of Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia. In contrast, Hungary had made itself an outsider in the EU under the long-term head of government Orban with its pro-Russian and anti-Ukraine stance. Magyar has also announced a change of course here. In June, he wants to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"We all sense that a fundamental change is taking place in Hungary," said Poland's government spokesman Adam Szlapka with regard to the issue of Ukraine. The previous government under Orban had pursued a policy that ran completely counter to Polish interests. "This included close cooperation with Vladimir Putin, blocking support for Ukraine and blocking a number of joint European projects, also from the point of view of our security." This policy is now expected to change.
