PM Orbán: Ukraine cannot win, Russia is not a friend, the EU wants war economy, which would destroy “all our plans”

The government aims to achieve an average salary of one million forints (EUR 2,600), a 400,000-forint minimum wage, full payment of the 14th monthly pension, a new agricultural economy, complete energy independence, and the integration of artificial intelligence into Hungarian life in the next term, Orbán said.

Hungary’s fate no longer dictated by enemies

The prime minister said: “The grand plan is for Hungarians to be great, wealthy, and as strong as possible.” Responding to a question about whether Fidesz could still have grand plans amid the shadow of war, Orban said he had entered politics to “achieve great things” and “take part in great things”, and he recalled that opposition student circles in the mid-1980s were formed “to accomplish great things: to end Comecon, dissolve the Warsaw Pact, remove the Soviets and communists, restore the old Hungarian spirit, revive national sentiment, and give our priests space to evangelise, because we needed it.”

“I’m in politics to correct the historical injustice that, after the first world war, Hungary’s fate was dictated by its enemies: its borders were redrawn and its international politics were adjusted to keep Hungarians small and poor. I’m here to change that…” But every grand vision depended on “staying out of war”, he warned. “The risk of Hungary being dragged into war is not theoretical; it knocks on our door every day. I must keep that door shut with all my might,” he said according to the Hungarian News Agency. Check out Orbán’s “Brussels, we won’t pay” petition in the issue.

Family-based society, a work-based economy

“Preserving a family-based society, a work-based economy, not giving our money to Ukraine, and avoiding war are prerequisites for discussing grand plans.” Outlining goals for the next term, Orban said the average salary would be raised from 700,000 to one million forints and the minimum wage would be increased from 310,000-320,000 to 400,000 forints. He also confirmed that the first instalment of the 14th monthly pension is being distributed this week, stressing that pensioners were not to be seen as a burden because they had earned their pensions through a lifetime of work.

The prime minister also announced plans to create a new agriculture economy, noting that while the EU capped farm subsidies at 80 percent, Hungary had been unable to fully tap even this amount due to other priorities. “But two years ago, we launched a new agriculture policy, and we are now giving maximum support to farmers and the food industry. In two to three years, the results will be fantastic,” he said, adding that Hungary must thrive on what it does best. Orbán held a fiery international press conference before touching almost all the issues he talked about in Miskolc.

Total energy independence, promises Orbán

Orbán also set total energy independence as a goal, to be achieved through nuclear and solar energy. He noted that Hungary lost all its energy resources after the first and second world wars. The government, he said, would extend the operational life of the Paks 1 nuclear power plant and build Paks 2, which together would cover 60-65 percent of Hungary’s electricity needs, with solar energy filling the gap. He highlighted the need for massive solar storage investments for industrial parks and households.

Regarding oil and gas, he said: “If you don’t have it, buy it.” Hungarian companies, he added, already operated gas fields in Azerbaijan and oil fields elsewhere, ensuring Hungary’s energy security. Regarding artificial intelligence, Orbán said he has tasked Laszlo Palkovics with developing a strategy to integrate AI into Hungarian life “for our benefit”.

While acknowledging both its potential and risks, he said: “Fundamentally, we need natural intelligence; it’s still more important than artificial.” He cautioned that AI must be introduced into education in a way that makes children cleverer rather than more stupid.

Speaking of the party’s ties to the city of Miskolc, Orbán said: “There is a love story here,” adding that he could always count on the citizens of Miskolc. Orbán said he held his first meeting in the city 37 years ago “when Communists were still leading Hungary”. He had come to “agitate” for toppling the communists and sending the Soviet troops home, he said.

Since then, “we have won together many times,” he said: Miskolc had given a deputy leader to the party. He also named several mayors of the city. Fidesz has also stood up for the city. “You can count on me … this love story is not over yet,” he said.

Warmongering opposition

Taking questions from the audience, Orbán said the opposition Tisza and Democratic Coalition (DK) were among “the warmongering parties in Brussels”. He insisted they wanted to send young people to fight in Ukraine; “the leaders of the large European states signed an agreement to send and station soldiers in Ukraine”. “They say they will be on a peacekeeping mission — I’m afraid that they will keep the war going instead.”

Meanwhile, in order for young people to have a chance in Miskolc, it is necessary that their money is not taken to Ukraine, he said. “The money being sent there is missing from the entire European economy. The fruits of Hungarians’ labour must be put to use in Hungary… We are not sending money or soldiers, and then Miskolc will be able to go forward,” he said.

Asked about incentives for young people to stay in the city or to draw them back there, Orban said parents were primarily responsible for their children. “This is true in a political sense too.” He asked parents to educate their children on politics “and make sure they grasp the weight of their decision”. “The most the government can give is education of the children through sports,” he said.

Miskolc a proud industrial centre

Once a “loser of the regime change”, he said Miskolc was today a modern, “proud industrial centre” with cutting-edge technologies put to work. The government has halved unemployment since 2010 and created 43,000 new jobs, as well as tripled wages, he said. “Poverty was reduced to 18 percent from 30 percent, and we also took over 36 billion forint debt of the city, amassed by the previous city leadership.”

“The tempo and the direction is good, but there is a lot of work in front of us. The city is in the process of development, and on the cusp of further progress.” Meanwhile, Orbán said public safety in the city had grown and the quality of schools and vocational training had improved. “There will be safe jobs, and an entire university city should they want to study… Young people have many reasons to stay in the city.” Asked when large investments were expected to arrive in the city, Orbán said the largest investment were by the Chinese company Halms, two new plants Germany’s Bosch has recently opened there, the South Korean LG Magna and Chevron.

“Miskolc citizens will have to decide whether they want mid-size international plants giving jobs to 1,000-5,000 people, or one large investment; both have their advantages, disadvantages and risks.” Orbán called for caution in relation to vehicle production, recalling that around 100,000 auto workers were laid off in western Europe last year. “If the people of Miskolc are thinking about a large factory, they should focus on electrics, because although the transition will be slower than anyone thinks, it will happen,” he added.

New investments, teachers

He said the government stood ready to help bring about the next large investment in Miskolc, noting that a brownfield area is within the city. He said he told the mayor: “We’ll pay for it if they want it,” and then the city could buy it back. Responding to a question from a self-described “satisfied teacher”, Orbán acknowledged that Hungarian public education faced serious intellectual and professional challenges as well as political problems. “The core intellectual-professional question is what to teach children in an era of rapidly changing technology — how much of it is a blessing and how much a curse,” he said, adding that these were difficult questions for educators, not politicians, to resolve.

Orbán said there was a need for continuous communication between educational authorities and teachers. “The authorities know what they want, and teachers see what is possible. This is how we can reconcile pedagogical freedom with national education; but this requires cooperation between teachers and political leaders,” he said.

The prime minister conceded that cooperation had been “creaking” recently, citing protests, adding that the issue was not solely about wages. While teachers were “undoubtedly underpaid”, he noted that by the end of the year, average teacher salaries will exceed 900,000 forints. “Yet even with pay rises, cooperation between teachers and educational governance is not up to par,” he said.

Correct relationships

Asked about Hungary’s international allies, Orbán listed the United States, China, and the Turkic world, including Central Asia. Regarding Russia, he said: “I won’t use the word ‘friend’ — this would sound provocative — but we have a correct, balanced relationship with Russia, and this will be valuable in the future.” He lamented the low point in “historically strong” German-Hungarian relations, but added that Hungarians “get along well enough” with Germans in Hungary, many of whom, he insisted, would vote for the AfD if they lived in Germany. He described relation with Italy as a particularly “deep and friendly cooperation”.

Within the EU, Orbán said the “Czechs are with us”, while “Slovakia is too, despite current tensions” over the Benes decrees. “No Hungarian government can accept collective guilt, but we must resolve this issue because Slovak-Hungarian friendship must endure it,” he said. He underscored that cooperation with Hungarian communities in the Carpathian Basin, whether in Slovakia or elsewhere, was “a non-negotiable part of our policy. Their protection is our duty, and no one can object to this.” To support Hungarians affected by the Benes decrees, the government has established a consortium of law firms to represent their interests at Hungary’s expense, Orbán said.

Roma integration

Regarding Roma integration, Orbán called the issue “one of the most important questions for Hungary’s future”. He recalled a 2010 agreement with the Roma community: “You get a job, but you must show up to work; we help with child-rearing, but you must send your children to school.” Citing progress, he said there were more Roma teachers, more vocational training for Roma children, and Roma university enrollment had doubled, though “there is still work to do,” Orbán said.

Regarding the government’s achievements in the fight against poverty, Orban said financial reserves had grown, more than 1 million more cars were on the streets than in 2010, and annual meat consumption had grown to 69kg per capita from 53kg per capita in 2010. “At the same time, there are still problems we have to work on.” Addressing the Roma population, Orbán said: “There is no future without order. If they want a future, they too will have to keep the order…”

Housing

Regarding housing, Orban said that 80,000 residences in Hungary were without running water, “which are only suitable for human habitation to a limited degree”. That is “something we will tackle”; at the same time, “aiding the housing of the lowest strata of society while the middle class has no housing would turn Gypsies and the middle class against each other.” So the government has opened an opportunity for the middle class to have their own property through the 3 percent subsidised loan, he said.

The housing issues of Roma citizens will have to be tackled over the next four years, he said, “while maintaining the agreement that says: there will be jobs but you will have to work, and there will be help to raise children, but the children must go to schools. If all that works out, we will take great steps in the next four years,” he said.

Growing loans

Asked whether recently introduced welfare measures would be financed from loans, Orbán said Hungary had inherited a large debt at the time of the regime change. It has had a budget deficit for a long time, he said. Currently, state debt is at 73-74 percent of GDP, and interest payments must be serviced, he said. Recent welfare measures, he said, could be paid for using the income that Hungarians generate, so there was no need to increase the public debt. Anyone suggesting that home purchase subsidies, minimum wage hikes and family tax cuts were being financed from loans were doing so in bad faith, he added.

“We — and I as the prime minister — are capable of ensuring Hungary’s progress without sacrificing its future by raising loans,” he said. Meanwhile, Orbán said western Europe was abuzz with “real war preparations”. “The war is close, knocking on the door; mostly because it’s physically in a neighbouring country… The Europeans have already given 193 billion euros to Ukraine, now they are giving them another 90 billion for the next two years, and the Ukrainians have already requested 800 billion to keep the country running in the coming ten years, beyond the security and military costs which will be another sum.”

Ukraine’s victory a pipedream

European leaders are counting on victory on the front and on Russian reparation payments “so they are not ruined” over these payments, he said. “All that is a pipedream; we are being dragged into it and spending more and more money,” he said. “In the end, there will be no alternative to trying to defeat the Russians to avoid a collapse. Up to now, we were pushed into the war by the military industry, now it is the turn of financiers and politicians,” he said.

“If there is such a thing as a moral stance responsibly representing Hungarian national interests, it is that of peace, that we should not be dragged into war.” “If the current governing parties win the election, peace will be preserved. If they win, war will come,” he declared. He insisted Tisza and DK were part of a “pro-war European alliance”, calling Tisza “the Hungarian branch of the European war party” and its European leader, Manfred Weber, “Europe’s leading warmonger”.

“A pro-Brussels government would drag us into war and into an economy that funds it: a war economy. In that case, we can forget all our plans: raising the minimum wage, supporting home ownership, tax exemptions for mothers of two, and doubling family tax benefits,” he warned.

Orbán said Hungary had been unable to stay out of two world wars as Istvan Tisza and Miklos Horthy had not managed this, “and the big question now is whether we can manage this, and I think we can.” Hungary, he added, was shaping its international ties so it could stay out of the war. He said renewal and boldness were good things “but everything has its time”.

“I am an old fox and still need all my knowledge, experience and information to have a chance to keep the country out of the war. Young adventurers can’t be trusted with this… that’s why I say that Fidesz is the safe choice,” he concluded.