EU Values Foresight
Foresight
Think Tank
Debate: Unpacking the Democracy Shield: Promise and Pitfalls
8 December 2025
Despite cancelling a trip to Budapest, Karol Nawrocki’s relationship with Viktor Orbán is far from over. The Polish president, scrutinised by public opinion for undercutting the foreign and security of Poland, did not need to be seen with a politician recently showcased in the Kremlin.
The awkward reality is that Nawrocki will still clasp Orbán’s hand at the upcoming Visegrad summit in Esztergom, while Hungarian PM peddles the compromised 28-point-plan narrative now in the German conservative media. In his words Ukraine should become a buffer state, which clearly is a loud call to lose hearts and minds over a united Europe.
GLOBAL/REGIONAL