Hungary stays in ICC, restores import curbs

Péter Magyar said on Friday that Hungary had withdrawn its intention to leave the International Criminal Court and would again ban agricultural imports from Ukraine, reversing two positions associated with Viktor Orbán’s government. Magyar announced the move in a post on X, and Hungarian and foreign media reports said the decision keeps Hungary inside the court as existing warrants tied to the Gaza war remain in force. The same announcement restored import curbs that had lapsed earlier this month after a legal and procedural change tied to the new government. The twin decision put Budapest back inside the ICC’s formal system while reviving a protectionist measure aimed at Hungary’s farm market. ### Why did Hungary have to say it was staying in the ICC now? May 23 was close to a key deadline created by the previous government’s withdrawal process. Human Rights Watch said in April that Hungary’s exit from the ICC was set to take effect on June 2, 2026, unless the move was halted. Orbán had announced the withdrawal during an April 2025 visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the court. The Jerusalem Post reported that Magyar said, “The government withdraws Hungary’s intention to leave the International Criminal Court and bans the import of agricultural products from Ukraine.” The paper said the warrants for Israeli officials remained in place, including those previously issued for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant. ### Which Israeli warrants are at issue? (hrw.org) The ICC warrants most directly tied to Hungary’s reversal are those issued in connection with the war in Gaza. Search results summarizing the Jerusalem Post report said the court’s existing warrants remain active and that further warrants are expected for senior Israeli ministers and military commanders. A Times of Israel report cited by search results said Netanyahu’s April 2025 visit to Hungary had come after Orbán rejected the ICC warrants and announced the withdrawal. (jpost.com) The same report said Magyar had stated that if Hungary remained an ICC member, a person wanted by the court who entered Hungarian territory “must be taken into custody.” ### What changed from the Orbán government’s position? Viktor Orbán’s government had made withdrawal from the ICC part of its response to the Netanyahu case. Péter Magyar’s government reversed that step within weeks of taking office, according to Daily News Hungary and other reports surfaced in search results. Daily News Hungary said the Tisza-led government had officially withdrawn the intention to leave the court. (timesofisrael.com) AFP-based and Anadolu Agency summaries carried by other outlets also reported that Hungary was reversing course on the ICC while reinstating the Ukraine import ban. Those accounts described the move as a formal withdrawal of the earlier notice to leave the court. ### Why did the Ukraine farm-import ban come back at the same time? (dailynewshungary.com) Hungary’s restriction on Ukrainian agricultural goods had lapsed on May 14 after the end of emergency arrangements and what reports described as a procedural error. Meduza, citing earlier regional reporting, said the ban had first been imposed in April 2023 and expired during the transition to the new government. (aa.com.tr) Szabolcs Bóna, Hungary’s agriculture and food minister, said on Facebook that the government would restore the ban, according to the Budapest Business Journal. Search results said the restriction covers major categories of Ukrainian agricultural products and was presented by Hungarian officials as protection for domestic farmers. ### What happens next? (meduza.io) June 2, 2026, had been the date on which Hungary’s ICC withdrawal was due to take effect, according to Human Rights Watch. Magyar’s reversal, if carried through in Hungary’s formal notifications, would stop that exit before the deadline. The Jerusalem Post reported on May 23 that additional ICC warrants are expected for senior Israeli ministers and commanders. (bbj.hu) In Hungary, the reinstated Ukraine import restrictions are now back in force under Magyar’s government, with Agriculture Minister Szabolcs Bóna among the officials tied to the next implementation steps. (jpost.com) (hrw.org)