No Orbán, no excuses

No Orbán, no excuses

From Brussels Playbook Podcast by POLITICO

April 21, 2026 · 14 min · Episode 40

About this episode

The episode discusses the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg and its implications without Hungary's presence, along with election results in Bulgaria and travel restrictions in Brussels.

EU foreign ministers are meeting in Luxembourg today to discuss a hefty list of geopolitical crises. But compared with past gatherings, something feels ... different. That might be because, without the presence of an obstructionist Hungary, the meeting could finally result in movement on several key topics. Ian and Sarah discuss whether we can expect decisive action to be taken on issues like the unblocking of aid to Ukraine or possible sanctions against Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Next, we give you the lowdown on the election results in Bulgaria where ex-fighter-jet pilot Rumen Radev won big. Some diplomats here in Brussels are wondering if perhaps we’re looking at another Viktor Orbán type of leader. Also, with Brussels urging Europeans to cut back on travel to save fuel, MEPs are also scrutinizing their monthly trips to Strasbourg. Finally, we have a message from our host Zoya Sheftalovich, who's on vacation in Australia ... and isn't very happy with Ian. That's not all: Carrie Budoff Brown, our executive editor, also dials in with a special birthday shout out. Do you have a question or a comment? Contact us on WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29. Learn more about your…

People in this episode

Host: Zoya Sheftalovich

Guests: Ian, Sarah

Topics covered

  • geopolitical crises
  • EU foreign ministers meeting
  • aid to Ukraine
  • sanctions against Israeli settlers
  • Bulgaria election results
  • travel restrictions
  • Brussels

Keywords

  • EU
  • Hungary
  • geopolitical crises
  • Ukraine
  • Bulgaria
  • Rumen Radev
  • Viktor Orbán
  • Brussels
  • travel restrictions
  • sanctions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hungary, EU

Places: Bulgaria, Luxembourg, West Bank, Brussels

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