Orbán: Brussels and Tisza with Ukraine they must be stopped, but we will win

Brussels and the opposition Tisza Party are candid about their goal to lower Hungarian living standards, and they are conniving to turn Hungary into a failed state, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Tuesday, speaking at the inauguration of a new section of the M44 motorway in central Hungary.

Orbán said it was clear that Brussels and the opposition Tisza Party backed Ukraine’s membership, while “national forces” were against. “Brussels wants a pro-Ukraine government in Hungary that will meet its demands,” he said. “This is what the Brussels-Tisza Pact is about.” The prime minister said Brussels would prevent Hungary’s economy from developing and thereby bring Tisza to power. In return, Tisza would support Ukraine’s membership as well as economic and military aid to Kyiv, he added.

The Tisza party has never supported Ukraine’s accession, which is probably deliberately misinterpreted by the ruling party, emphasising this. As we wrote today, Magyar said that when the conditions and planned date of Ukraine’s EU accession are known, Tisza will call a referendum, details HERE.

“They’re conniving to make Hungary a failed state,” the prime minister said. “They are working to thwart renovation of fifty hospitals, prevent improvements to public services and railway developments,” he added. “The worse for the country, the better for them; they are capable of doing anything for power and money,” he said, adding that the government would not let that happen, however. “We will make Hungary successful no matter how much they are trying to prevent us,” he said, adding that he envisaged “a big fight”. “Together with Ukraine they must be stopped, but we will win,” he said.

In Brussels, a package on speeding up Ukraine’s accession was unveiled on Monday, Orbán said, adding that all Hungary’s EU money would have to be spent on Ukraine and even Hungarian budget money “would end up in Kyiv”. He said the country’s accession would cost Hungary 20,000 billion forints (EUR 61bn). Yesterday, Balázs Orbán, the Prime Minister’s political director, put an even bigger figure, estimating the cost of Ukraine’s integration into the EU at €2,500 billion over several years, details HERE.

“Then no roads would be built on Hungarian soil for a long time,” he said, urging people to make their views known on Ukraine’s EU membership in a referendum.

Meanwhile, Orbán said completion of the new road had been an “old debt to pay” to Bács-Kiskun and Békés counties, which he referred to as long-neglected parts of the country. “There was neither the will nor money to link the area to the country’s traffic and economic bloodstream, despite the cities’ decisive role in toppling communism and regaining the country’s independence.”