PM Orbán talked about the the war’s end in Ukraine, invites Netanjahu to Budapest – UPDATED
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The two most dangerous months of the Russia-Ukraine war “are ahead of us” and Hungary “must continue to pursue a sober kind of politics”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview to public radio on Friday. The PM also announced that he is inviting Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanjahu to visit Hungary.
Trump will bring peace but we have to wait for it, Orbán says
Orbán said that peace was within reach thanks to the election victory of Donald Trump, but it was clear that the outgoing Democrats wanted to leave behind a “more serious legacy” compared with the situation as it was when Trump won.
He said Hungary’s fate was directly at stake in this conflict, so it would act in a thoughtful, predictable and calm manner, Orbán said.
Noting that Ukraine is Hungary’s neighbour, he said the conflict was not escalating a distant part of the world and war developments in a neighbouring country were immediately palpable. Furthermore, ethnic Hungarians live in Transcarpathia, “so the threat is direct”, he added.
By now they have started using weapons that can easily reach countries outside the territory of Ukraine, primarily neighbouring countries, he said. “These reports concern us and are not just about international diplomatic conflicts; they are about direct Hungarian interests and Hungary being under the threat of war,” he added.
Commenting on Trump entering office on January 20, he said “dawn will arrive all of a sudden” but “we are in the darkest hour … and until then we are living in an even greater darkness than before.” The two most dangerous months of the war “are ahead of us”, he said.
Without the Americans Ukraine will collapse
The prime minister said the situation was clear in military terms: if the Americans stopped backing Ukraine, Europe would not have the slightest hope of successfully supporting Ukraine, not to mention the financial-economic consequences of a lost war, he added. Orbán said Hungary would be guided by this thought in the next two months, until Trump enters office: to survive by pursuing a smart and sober kind of politics, he said.
In response to a question about the threat of introducing heavy weapons, he said there were significant risks.
He noted that within 24 hours of the US presidential election results became clear, the German government collapsed.
“We Hungarians are not used to that; we are a country that pursues sovereign foreign policy, and regardless of how much the world cracks on all fronts, we’ll always make decisions based on our national interest, and we won’t tie our fate to other governments,” he said.
He said developments in America could have an almost immediate effect on the behaviour of “not-insignificant” western European governments and countries. This was because when the Americans made certain steps, then certain countries felt an obligation to follow the American directive, he added.
Empty talk and idling in western Europe
Orbán said the weapons that the Americans had allowed the Ukrainians to use were extremely complicated and reports suggested that the Ukrainians were unable to reach their target with them independently and without the involvement of US expertise. This was why the Russians had responded so suddenly and powerfully, he added.
Orbán also said that the weight and significance of remarks made in western Europe and in Russia were different, and western European decision-makers had not considered this seriously enough.
“There’s a huge amount of empty talk and idling in western Europe, with statements made that have no direct consequence. European leaders in important positions easily allow themselves to make tirades on geopolitical and military matters, thinking that these are merely a matter of communication, to make a domestic political point,” he said.
He added that the Russian system of communications was very different. “When the president says something, it has weight and consequence. When the Russians amend the doctrine on the use of nuclear force, it is not only a communications tool or trick,” he said.
Putin’s words are not tricks
Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent statement under which Russia could consider as targets countries sending such equipment to Ukraine, Orbán said: “This isn’t a communications trick; we must keep our wits about us.”
He said Russia fundamentally made its policies and sought its place in the world based on military power. “With one of the strongest armies in the world and the most modern, most destructive weapons are crucial for its vision of the future,” he said, adding that “when they say something on this subject, it should be understood the way they say it.”
In the next two months, “the logic of war should be taken into consideration, carefully weighing each word and sentence and proceeding in line with common sense rather than on basis of the political rules based on western European communications,” Orbán said, adding “or else we’ll be in trouble.”
Orban said he supported that “the number and size” of current conflicts in the world should be reduced through every measure possible. “But international institutions in fact fail to act carefully in their decision-making,” he added.
Orbán said he is inviting Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Hungary.
Orbán outraged at ICC ruling
Referring to an arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister issued by the International Criminal Court on Thursday, Orbán called the move “outrageously brazen and cynical”, amounting to “interference in an ongoing conflict in legal disguise” and motivated by politics.
Orbán said this was in itself wrong and would completely discredit the reputation of international law and could “add fuel to the fire”. He said he had “no other choice but to oppose” the ruling.
Referring to the invitation, Orbán said he would guarantee that the ICC ruling would not be applied in Hungary, adding that “we will not follow its provisions”.
Lets see. International lawas are created. A politician makes a crime. The law analyze the case and dictates the outcome. The politician gets an arrest warrant and some politicians do not agree. Why do we have such laws if they are not created to be respected? Even netanyahu knew he was going to go to jail after this war. It is not about the October 7th. Is about how he handled the war. War has rules. If You dont follow them, then you will be punished. Hungary chosing the wrong side of history AGAIN. But thankfully Hungary can not do any kind of veto this time
P.M. Orban does not believe in betraying a friend. P.M. Netanyahu should always be and welcomed in Hungary. Europe is now revealing is extreme antisemitism. Jewish people are now not safe in western Europe. Hungary should abandon ICC and ECC.