The meeting in Gödöllő, near Budapest, brought together Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. The gathering marked the first high-level summit of the Visegrad Four, or V4, since disagreements over former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Russia-friendly policies strained cooperation among member states.

Magyar, who took office following Hungary’s April parliamentary election, has made rebuilding relations with regional partners a central element of his foreign policy. Speaking after the summit, he declared that the V4 had regained momentum and proposed deeper cooperation on transportation, energy security, agriculture and migration management.

Among the initiatives discussed was a proposal to develop a high-speed railway connecting the capitals of the four member countries, a project Magyar said could strengthen economic integration across Central Europe.

“The V4 is back,” Magyar told reporters after the meeting, describing Central Europe as an increasingly important political and economic center within the European Union.

The Visegrad Group, established in 1991, has traditionally coordinated positions among the four countries on issues ranging from migration and regional development to European Union policy. However, cooperation weakened after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exposed differences among members over military assistance to Kyiv and relations with Moscow.

Under Orbán, Hungary repeatedly blocked or delayed several European Union initiatives linked to Ukraine, creating tensions with Poland, one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters within the bloc.

Since taking office, Magyar has sought to reverse that approach. His government recently reached an agreement with Ukraine regarding the rights of Hungary’s ethnic minority community in western Ukraine and subsequently removed Budapest’s opposition to the launch of Ukraine’s EU accession process.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the V4 could once again become an influential voice in European affairs if member states coordinate positions ahead of European Council meetings.

He said closer consultation among the four countries would allow Central Europe to exert greater influence on policy decisions within the EU.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, both previously aligned with Orbán on several regional issues, also expressed support for renewing the group’s role. Babiš described the alliance as once again fully operational and argued that the four countries could play an important role in shaping Europe’s future.

Despite renewed cooperation, differences remain over support for Ukraine. Both Babiš and Fico have reduced or opposed military and financial assistance for Kyiv, contrasting with Poland’s more robust backing of Ukraine’s defense efforts.

The summit nonetheless reflected a broader effort by member states to focus on areas of common interest while rebuilding trust within the regional alliance.

Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the Visegrad Group and is scheduled to transfer leadership of the bloc to Slovakia at the end of June.

In an open letter released on Wednesday, over 440 signatories called on the EU and its member states to respond to Israel’s intention to advance the E1 project, a proposed development spanning around 12 square kilometers that includes plans for approximately 3,400 housing units.

The project, located between east Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank, would deepen territorial fragmentation by further separating Palestinian areas, according to the letter.

“The EU and its member states, together with partners, must take immediate action to deter Israel from further advancing its illegal annexation of Palestinian land in the West Bank,” the signatories said, advocating targeted sanctions including visa bans and business restrictions against individuals involved in settlement activity.

Among those endorsing the appeal were former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt.The letter cited Israeli plans to issue an initial construction tender on June 1, potentially enabling housing for up to 15,000 settlers, and urged swift diplomatic and economic measures to halt the initiative.

International concern over the E1 project has been longstanding, with the United Nations warning it could pose an “existential threat” to the viability of a contiguous Palestinian state.According to international law, Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal, though Israel disputes this characterization.

More than 500,000 Israelis currently live in such settlements, alongside roughly three million Palestinians in the territory.

Data from the United Nations indicate that settlement expansion reached its highest level in recent years in 2025, while reports from Palestinian authorities and the UN point to a rise in violence involving settlers since the start of the Iran conflict in late February.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.

Jorgensen said the bloc is assessing “all possibilities” as it braces for sustained disruption, warning that energy prices are likely to remain elevated for an extended period. “This will be a long crisis energy prices will be higher for a very long time,” he said in the interview.

He added that for certain critical energy products, market conditions could deteriorate further in the coming weeks, underscoring concerns about supply constraints and volatility linked to the conflict.

The European Union has previously relied on coordinated measures such as strategic stock releases and demand reduction during periods of supply stress. Officials are now evaluating whether similar or more stringent interventions may be required if the crisis deepens.

The developments come as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to disrupt global energy flows, raising risks for import-dependent economies and adding pressure to inflation across the region.

Leading this campaign is the Netherlands-based Foundation The London Story (FTLS), alongside partner organizations, with the apparent goal of influencing European Union policymakers against India.

FTLS, exposed as a project of the U.S.-based Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR)—both criticized for their anti-India and Pakistan-linked agendas—has a track record of promoting narratives hostile to India.

In 2023, FTLS partnered with the Pakistan-sponsored Stand With Kashmir to push for a boycott of the G20 summit in Kashmir, India. The organization has also worked to depict journalism in India as perilous. In 2022, FTLS hosted Washington Post journalist Rana Ayyub to speak on alleged attacks on Indian journalists, aiming to shape EU policymakers’ perceptions of India’s media environment.

The latest initiative, a briefing on the Adivasi community in Bastar, is co-organized by FTLS, the London Mining Network, India Justice Project, and Indian Alliance Paris. The event features speakers such as Bela Bhatia, a professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Bastar, Professor G. Haragopal, Binota Moy Dhamai, and Ana Celestial from the Philippines. This briefing appears strategically designed to highlight alleged human rights abuses in India, aligning with the broader objective of isolating India on the global stage.

Bela Bhatia, a prominent speaker, has been mired in controversy. In 2016, locals in Chhattisgarh branded her a “Naxalite” and protested her presence, accusing her of fabricating cases against security forces.

In May 2017, Podiyam Pandu, a surrendered Maoist cadre, claimed that Bhatia and Nandini Sundar, wife of journalist Siddharth Varadarajan, were in contact with Maoist insurgents. Sundar faced charges in November 2016 for the murder of a tribal person in Sukma district, alongside allegations of rioting and inciting violence, further fueling scrutiny of Bhatia’s affiliations.

Bhatia is married to Jean Drèze, a Belgian-born economist who became an Indian citizen in 2002. Drèze, a vocal critic of Indian policies, has been accused of promoting anti-state narratives, including opposition to the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir. He co-founded the Centre for Equity Studies (CES) with Harsh Mander, a former IAS officer whose career is fraught with controversy.

CES has faced allegations of violating the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), leading to its license suspension in 2023. In 2024, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided Mander’s home and CES offices, alleging the diversion of Rs 32.71 lakh from its FCRA account to individuals, in violation of regulations. CES has received funding from organizations like Oxfam and Action Aid, raising concerns about its financial dealings.

Mander’s NGOs, including CES, have also been linked to disturbing allegations of child abuse. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights filed complaints against CES-run children’s homes, prompting Delhi Police cases under the Juvenile Justice Act. These controversies have cast doubt on the credibility of Mander and his associated organizations.

According to @OSINTWa_com, FTLS and its partners, in coordination with U.S.-based Jamaat fronts like IAMC, form a transatlantic network aimed at undermining India by infiltrating human rights spaces in Europe. By amplifying crises like the situation in Bastar, these groups seek to pressure international bodies such as the United Nations and advance their propaganda. Critics argue that this network operates as a fifth column, leveraging Western platforms to influence policies against India while concealing their alleged ties to Pakistan.

As these organizations intensify their campaigns, India faces the challenge of countering these narratives globally. The Bastar briefing is part of a broader strategy to depict India as an oppressive state, with the ultimate aim of diplomatic isolation. The activities of FTLS and its allies remain under scrutiny, as their influence in Europe raises concerns about foreign interference in India’s sovereignty.