Editorial: Le Monde

• Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union Council since July 1.
• Orban has shown diplomatic activism, particularly in relation to Ukraine, without having a specific mandate for this.
• Orban has been circumventing Western restrictions in his meetings with Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Donald Trump.
• The Prime Minister of Hungary appears to be in defiance of European interests, possibly violating the Treaty of Amsterdam.
• He is taking advantage of a temporary power vacuum within the European Union, overstepping the responsibilities of the European Council President.
• Orban has formed a new group in the European Parliament, the Patriots for Europe, made up of far-right parties.

Conclusion: Orban, with his diplomatic activism and by forming alliances with controversial leaders, poses a challenge to the cohesion and efficacy of the European Union.

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