Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni flipped her friendly ties with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán to come out looking like a major power broker at this week's EU summit.
But their friendship is more shallow and brittle than it appeared, while Orbán may ultimately prove a burden to her ambitions, some analysts say.
Meloni's office told Italian media on Thursday (1 February) that she was the "lead player" in getting Orbán to drop his veto on Enjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a member for as low as €1,75 per week.To read this story, log in or subscribe