Official of Orbán cabinet says they would NOT have defended Hungary in case of a Russian invasion – UPDATED with PM Orbán’s reaction

The prime minister’s political director, Balázs Orbán, said in an interview that in the case of a Russian attack, the Orbán cabinet would not have defended Hungary and “would not have gone to war” with Moscow. Orbán said that in a podcast with a government-close Mandinder journalist. His sentences sparked public outrage, one of the most popular Hungarian political analysts called his interview the biggest politician error of the year. Will there be consequences?

Orbán reacted to the speech of the US Ambassador

Balázs Orbán is one of the strongmen around PM Viktor Orbán. The identical family name is a coincidence, nobody ever questioned that they are not relatives. Some insiders say that after the US presidential elections, PM Orbán will introduce changes in the government and his political director might become Hungary’s new foreign minister. However, he might even see his political career end after what he said in a Mandiner interview.

The political director talked with Mátyás Kohán, a journalist of Mandiner in a podcast about the situation in Ukraine. Among other issues, they recounted Ambassador David Pressman’s thoughts about Hungary and the 1956 anti-Soviet revolution and freedom fight. Pressman asked in his Budapest Forum keynote speech in September how the country of 1956 could be so cosy with Putin’s Russia.

“How can a country be both a member of the European Union and also at war with “Brussels?” How can an ally of the United States also, in the Prime Minister’s words, be its “adversary?” How can a repeated victim of Russian aggression also obstruct efforts to respond to it?”

Photo: FB/US Embassy

Mr Kohán said he wanted to vomit after reading Pressman’s speech saying that, in 1956, Hungary could not rely on American help against the Soviet invaders.

Mr Orbán raised the stakes. He said the Hungarian government did not tell President Zelensky anything about his decision because each country has a right to decide its fate. But he said they would not have recommended Zelensky to lead his country and nation into a “defensive war” against Russia. He said that we learned that in 1956: Hungary grasped that “we must be cautious with Hungarian lives”.

PM Orbán with President Zelensky in Kyiv. Source: FB/Orbán

Hungary had no chance in 1956 but we fought back

In 1956, Hungarians said no to communism and being a satellite state of the Soviet Union and rose against dictatorship and poverty. They successfully chased away hardline communists and won the revolution. However, the Soviet Union decided to crush the revolution and the Western allies did not help. If they had intervened, they would have risked a nuclear war.

Hungary could not resist the Soviet invasion, but tens of thousands of people fought at the barricades against the tanks. The Nagy Imre government fled to the Yugoslavian embassy, and only one minister, István Bibó, remained in the parliament. However, PM Nagy called for resistance.

Soviet tanks in Budapest in 1956. Source: Wikipedia

Orbán’s words suggest that in the case of a full-scale Russian invasion Hungary, as a NATO and EU member, would not have resisted, and the Orbán cabinet would not ordered the defence forces to fight back. That is probably nonsense, but it will be hard to explain that.

Political analyst: the biggest mistake

The reactions from political opponents and one of the most popular Hungarian political scientists arrived immediately. Gábor Török said Orbán’s interview was the biggest mistake a politician committed this year. Former PM Ferenc Gyurcsány said the Orbán cabinet would give Hungary to Russia without resistance. They would create a satellite state. Wishing such policies to hell is the duty of all patriots, he added.

Csaba Molnár, the party’s VP, questioned the development of the Hungarian military and asked which regions Orbán would give to Russia without a fight.

Péter Magyar, the leader of the biggest Hungarian opposition party Tisza, said Orbán humiliated the memory of thousands of freedom fighters, so he should resign before the memorial day of the 1956 revolution, 23 October.

Márton Tompos, an MP of the Momentum Movement, called the Orbán cabinet Russia’s agents, while Péter Ungár, co-president of the LMP, asked which counties Orbán would sacrifice.

Orbán attacks in his response

Orbán, in response, called the opposition politicians propagandists and said the war in Ukraine should not have been started and the conflict should have been ended with diplomacy. He called the politicians who slammed him “pro-war”, and the media that attacked him “foreign-funded”.

UPDATE: Hungary’s pro-peace stance rock-solid

Hungary’s pro-peace stance has always been rock-solid and it will remain rock-solid in the future, too, even under pressure from pro-war forces, Balázs Orbán, the prime minister’s political director, said in a video posted on Facebook on Thursday. Orbán said that in politics remarks often got twisted, which is why he wanted “to set a couple of things straight” in connection with Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet revolution and freedom fight. “The heroes of 1956 are national heroes, their memory is sacred and unassailable; those heroes were right and did the right thing,” he said.

In the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, the political director said: “Unfortunately, we have been under pressure from pro-war propaganda everyday for two and a half years. And this pro-war propaganda fears nothing, not even mixing up the memory of the 1956 heroes with the Russia-Ukraine war and what is happening on its frontlines.”

LMP cited Orbán as suggesting that Hungary would not have set up defences against a Russian military aggression. Party co-leader Peter Ungar said Hungary had the right to defend its territory against an attack and called it “shocking” that a politician claiming to be “a patriot” would suggest otherwise.

The Socialists called the political director “a traitor” of his homeland and called for his resignation from politics, public life and departure from the country.

Péter Magyar, the leader of the opposition Tisza Party, said Orbán had crossed all lines with his “outrageous remarks” with which he “had ended up using the 13 most brightly shining days of 20th century Hungarian history for foul everyday propaganda purposes”. Magyar called on the political director to resign.

UPDATE 2: Here you may read PM Orbán’s reaction.

Read also:

• Transcarpathia annexed to Hungary? Map revealed by Russian Security Chairman
• PM Orbán is discontented: he is preparing for a purge and wants coming outs