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Orbán’s speech in parliament: debate on Ukraine, Russian energy sources instead of American ones, EU vetoes and domestic measures
Viktor Orbán’s speech before the agenda began the spring session of parliament. In keeping with tradition, the Prime Minister outlined the government decisions taken between the two sessions, with a particular focus on the welfare measures that came into effect in January. He also assessed current foreign and domestic political events, with particular regard to energy security and the war situation, as well as the challenges facing our country.
The Hungarian PM said the government will not deviate from its programme under any threat and will act “exclusively in the interests of the Hungarian people,” adding: “We insist on our independence and sovereignty.”
Orbán: Ukraine must guarantee energy transit under its EU agreement
Orbán argued that Ukraine signed an association agreement with the European Union in 2014 and undertook that energy transit passing through Ukraine to EU member states would be “inviolable”. He said Ukraine is therefore obliged to ensure Hungary’s oil supply under the EU association agreement and “must not use it as a political weapon”. He described what Ukraine is doing as a “clear breach” of the agreement.
Orbán accuses Brussels of siding with Ukraine
The prime minister said Brussels’ behaviour is “at least ambiguous”, claiming the EU treaty makes it the EU’s duty to assist a member state whose interests are harmed by a third party. He added that despite Hungary and Brussels disagreeing on the war, financing Ukraine and Ukraine’s EU membership, Brussels “must represent Hungary’s interests” in the current situation. Orbán said that failing to do so is a serious breach of treaty obligations “to Hungary’s detriment”.
He concluded that Brussels has sided with Ukraine “instead of the member state Hungary”, and claimed Brussels has formed an alliance with Kyiv.
Orbán: “open interference” in Hungarian elections
Orbán said Brussels and Kyiv agree that as long as a “national government” leads Hungary, they cannot implement their plans. He claimed this is happening 50 days before the election, calling it “open interference” in Hungary’s elections, and said he assumes the goal is to alter the balance of power in line with Brussels’ and Kyiv’s intentions. He added:
“I would like to remind everyone that in Hungary, the Hungarian people will decide in this matter.”
“Open intervention” in the Hungarian elections by the US as well? As we wrote earlier, President Trump also referred to Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary elections and reiterated that he stands firmly behind Orbán.
Government actions: strategic reserves opened, supply secured
Orbán said the government has handled what he called the emergency caused by the Ukrainians. He said strategic oil reserves were opened and the country’s energy supply was secured.
He argued that people can now “experience” what separating from Russian energy would mean in practice: it would create an emergency and financially ruin hundreds of thousands of Hungarian families. He said petrol at HUF 1,000 per litre (about €2.63) and household utility bills rising several-fold would be unaffordable. (FX used for conversions: EUR 1 = HUF 379.90, Magyar Nemzeti Bank, 23 February 2026.)
Orbán added that large Western energy companies (naming American Shell) would profit, while Hungarians would suffer. He said that on Monday morning the price difference between Western and Russian oil was $13 per barrel.
He stated that anyone claiming that Hungary’s “utility cost cuts” policy can be maintained without Russian energy “is either a fool or lying”.
In Hungarian:
Retaliatory steps and vetoes announced
Speaking about government responses, Orbán said:
- In coordination with Slovakia, Hungary halted diesel shipments to Ukraine.
- Hungary vetoed the disbursement of a previously approved €90 billion payment to Ukraine (which he said had been decided earlier without Hungary’s participation and without burdening Hungary).
- The government also decided to veto the EU’s pending “20th war sanctions package”, and said Hungary’s position in Brussels is that as long as Ukraine does not allow Russian crude to reach Hungary, Hungary will block every Brussels decision supporting Ukraine.
If you missed today:
Orbán on war losses and EU spending
Orbán said that in the Russia–Ukraine war, 9,000 people are killed or become war-disabled each week, calling this an irreplaceable loss and an unimaginable tragedy.
He said the war consumes immense financial resources and claimed the European Union has spent around €200 billion on Ukraine so far. He said electricity and natural gas prices in Europe are three to four times US and Chinese prices, arguing Europe is undermining its own competitiveness.
He added that one million jobs have disappeared from European industry in recent years, with chemicals and the automotive sector suffering in particular, and said Europe’s interest is to end the war as soon as possible.
Orbán claimed the opposite is happening, saying Brussels openly supports continuing the war. He said the European Commission has presented a strategy arguing Russia can still bear the burdens but “not for much longer”; that Russia will weaken economically and be forced to accept a peace favourable to Ukraine and the EU; therefore, he said, Brussels believes the war must continue.
Orbán said the Hungarian government believes this war strategy is wrong. He argued that Ukraine and Europe will run out of military stocks, money and deployable manpower sooner than Russia, and said there is no answer to how a nuclear power can be defeated.
He said Europe cannot finance the war and will “collapse under it”, becoming heavily indebted for decades, and Hungary must stay out of this.
Further claims on future EU costs
Orbán claimed that beyond the €200 billion already spent, Europe will allocate €90 billion to Ukraine in 2026–2027, and that the next EU budget would include €360 billion for Ukraine at the expense of development and agricultural subsidies, which he said would be cut by 20%. He also cited what he called a European Commission “Ukrainian welfare plan” worth $800 billion, and said Ukrainians had announced a demand for €700 billion in military spending.
He said: “You can’t scrape together that much money. That much money is not in the EU’s common budget. But it is not in member states’ budgets either.”
He warned that several member states’ debt already exceeds 100% of GDP, and claimed that written agreements have been reached between France and the UK to station troops in Ukraine, with Germany expressing readiness to join.
He called Brussels’ policy “enormous irresponsibility” economically as well as geopolitically.
Winter weather response and energy bill support at home
Orbán also spoke about severe weather between parliamentary sessions. He said:
- an оператив task force was set up,
- around 800 machines and 2,300 personnel were deployed,
- costs exceeded HUF 10 billion (about €26.3 million).
He said extraordinary conditions in western Hungary were brought under control; 12,000 homes were without power at one point and 40 km of lines were paralysed, but by Monday morning only 85 homes remained without electricity.
He said January’s extreme cold strained household budgets, so the government decided to cover 30% of January gas bills, describing this as a “utility stop” measure. He put the required funding at HUF 55 billion (about €144.8 million), financed by energy traders and producers and from budget reserves.
He said Hungary maintained utility protection despite pressure from Brussels, and claimed Hungarian families still pay the lowest gas and electricity bills in the EU. He said average Hungarian consumption equals HUF 250,000 per year (about €658), while the same would cost HUF 800,000 in Poland (about €2,106) and more than HUF 1 million in Czechia (more than €2,632).
Domestic economic measures listed
Orbán also listed recent economic measures, including:
- doubling the family tax allowance via two 50% rises (from last July and from 1 January), affecting around 1 million families;
- expanding lifetime income-tax exemptions for mothers in certain categories, and outlining a plan under which all mothers of two children would become income-tax exempt over the next three years;
- introducing a 14th-month pension, with the first instalment paid in early February, and stating pensions rose by 3.6% from 1 January;
- the fixed 3% interest home-creation loan programme, with 25,000 contracts signed by mid-February;
- minimum wage increases: HUF 322,800 (about €850) and a guaranteed minimum wage of HUF 373,200 (about €982) from 1 January.
He said public-sector pay rises continued, including teachers and kindergarten educators (he cited an average gross pay of HUF 950,000, about €2,501).
He also said judges’ and court staff wages are set to rise substantially by 2027 under a multi-year programme, and that “six months’ weapon money” (a bonus) was paid to nearly 80,000 police, soldiers and other uniformed personnel.
Orbán said that since October 2025, 23,000 businesses joined the fixed 3% Széchenyi programme, representing around HUF 1,200 billion in credit (about €3.16 billion).
He also noted raising the VAT exemption threshold for sole traders to HUF 20 million (about €52,600) from 1 January, with a planned rise to HUF 24 million (about €63,200).
He said an “5+1 point” hospitality action plan would support restaurants and confectioneries worth over HUF 100 billion (about €263 million).
He said applications for a HUF 4 million interest-free “work loan” for under-25 workers exceeded 40,000 in January (about €10,500 per loan), and that a rural home-renovation programme for settlements under 5,000 inhabitants had been used by 50,000 applicants.
Finally, he mentioned a solar tender offering HUF 2.5 million non-refundable support per household (about €6,580), with more than 100,000 applicants.