Helen Pitt

And how strong is the EU anyway, facing a future without American support and with a belligerent Russia on its borders?

From The Guardian, I'm Helen Pitt.

Today in Focus, the EU after Orban and with Starmer?

Lisa O'Carroll, welcome back to Today in Focus.

It's been a while.

Can you just start by telling me why was the Hungarian election results celebrated so wildly by EU leaders?

Yeah, and I'm not sure I've ever seen Ursula von der Leyen look so happy.

She was coming out with phrases like, Europe's heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight.

You had the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hailing Madja's win as a triumph for European values.

Why did it matter so much to these big EU figures that Orban was defeated?

Right.

Did he know that they were going to do that or was it sneaky?

Right.

And to what extent do you think it was the EU what won it for Peter Magyar?

Because, you know, in his victory speech in Budapest on Sunday night, he promised that he was going to forge closer links with the EU.

Do you think that that is what the Hungarian people were voting for?

Or do you think it was more like they were voting against a closer relationship with Russia?

And so obviously the EU is celebrating the end of this 16-year reign of Viktor Orban.

But do you think in terms of what Peter Madjar's politics are, could there be some elements of his personality, his policies that maybe won't align quite so closely with what the majority in the EU want?

Orban's defeat comes at a very precarious time for the whole world and also, of course, for the EU.