Scorching heat, drought hit Hungary, causing heavy crop losses

Extreme heat and worsening drought conditions have swept across Hungary, causing water levels in its major rivers to sharply decline, with crops suffering severe damage and losses.

According to official data, the water volume of the Tisza River, one of Hungary’s main rivers, has decreased by 60 percent, while the Danube River’s water level has dropped by 40 percent.

"There are two key issues at play. First, this summer in Hungary has been significantly hotter than previous years. Temperatures used to hover around 30-32 degrees Celsius, but now they commonly reach 35-38 degrees Celsius, sometimes even 40 degrees Celsius. All of this is due to the lack of rainfall. With no rainfall, the soil and plants sucked all available water from the ground and evaporated it to cool themselves, leading to an extremely critical situation," said Katalin Allacherné Szépkuthy, head of advisory team at the Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture.

HungaroMet's June 2025 agrometeorological report highlights extreme drought across large areas of Hungary. In central and southeastern regions of the country, rainfall since March has been 40-100 mm below average. Topsoil moisture is below 20 percent in most areas, with corn and sunflower leaves curling, and even early-harvested barley is suffering.

"The drought is so severe that I couldn't harvest any grain at all. The issue isn't just the lack of rain -- it's also the extremely high temperatures. The combination of these two factors has had a devastating impact on crops," said Danny Maria, a Hungarian farmer.

The Hungarian government has established task forces to distribute resources where needed, committing 10 billion Hungarian forints (about 30 million U.S. dollars) to supply free irrigation water to farmers.

Currently, heatwaves have hit large parts of Europe, with temperatures reaching record highs in many cities.

Scorching heat, drought hit Hungary, causing heavy crop losses

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the organization's member states to respect international law in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's latest remarks that he doesn't need international law.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the secretary-general, said at a press conference on Friday that the UN chief's reaction to Trump's remarks "is to redouble his message to all member states to respect the international law they themselves created".

In an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, Trump declared that his global power is constrained only by his "own morality", saying it's the only thing that can stop him.

When asked whether his administration needs to abide by international law, Trump said he would be the arbiter when such constraints applied to the United States.

"It depends what your definition of international law is," he said.

The New York Times report said Trump's assessment of his own freedom to use any instrument of military, economic or political power to cement American supremacy was the most blunt acknowledgment yet of his worldview. At its core is the concept that national strength, rather than laws, treaties and conventions, should be the deciding factor as powers collide.

The United States launched a large-scale military operation against Venezuela in the early hours of Jan 3, taking by force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

Maduro made his first court appearance on Jan 5 in New York, during which he pleaded not guilty to all U.S. charges.

Amid tensions with Venezuela, Trump has claimed the United States absolutely needs Greenland, saying he might try "hard ways" to take over the island, which has a strategically critical position and rich resources.

The latest U.S. moves have drawn worldwide condemnation for its violation of Venezuela's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and international law.

UN chief calls for respect for international law in response to Trump’s remarks