Europe Day this year, on 9 May 2026, may well turn out to be one for the history books, as the world observes two very different spectacles in two cities: Budapest and Moscow.
In Budapest, the mighty roar of the Hungarian people celebrating their freedom and democracy — heard on election night — will once again echo around the world as Péter Magyar assumes office as Prime Minister.
And just as Orbán’s Hungary had been a model of democratic backsliding and autocratisation for authoritarians and wannabe dictators to emulate, so the new Hungarian government under Péter Magyar may become a model for democratisation and for prosecuting those involved in crimes such as corruption, obstruction of justice, falsifying elections, and treason. Hard, and with no holds barred.
On the other hand, there is Moscow and President Putin, who will no longer be able to pull off his con. The Russian people increasingly see the small man behind the Wizard of Oz. They realise the Emperor wears no clothes, and earlier admiration or fear gives way to anger. Putin appears to no longer control the situation, which means he could be de facto removed from power at any time. At that point, the remaining elite and those with guns would focus solely on the power struggle at home, making a swift and total Ukrainian victory possible.
So tomorrow, Putin — who did so much to hype the 9th of May as a massive celebration of Russia’s military might and glory — will utterly fail to project the image he himself made people expect at the Victory Day parade on Red Square.
Yanukovych is gone, Assad is gone, Maduro is gone, Orbán is gone. Perhaps tomorrow is the beginning of the end for Putin, which would also likely mean the end of Lukashenka. And Trump may be a lame duck facing impeachment by the end of the year.
On the eve of Europe Day 2026, I allow myself to speculate optimistically: Perhaps we are seeing the turn of the times?