PM Orbán: the EU lost the war in Ukraine

We will recover from the war, we are at arm’s length from peace,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a year-end interview broadcast on public media.

The Russians are advancing and the European Union has lost the war, Orbán said

Orbán said the past three years had been “traumatic” with a war in the neighbourhood “in which hundreds, sometimes thousands die daily, while the country is emptied, bombed, and its resources lost”. He added that the impact of the war was “inescapable”, pointing to soaring prices and ruined energy markets.

“We have lived in this for three years and now that it could be over it is like coming up from under water and you can breathe again after a long time,” he said.

Answering a question on the necessity of two peace missions, Orbán said a Christian country must help those in need, and Hungary was given the means to do so as it held the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Asked whether the peace missions were successful, he said “the whole situation makes one want to weep. It is hard to talk about results here.” At the same time, at the beginning of the Hungarian presidency it was unacceptable to talk about peace in Europe, but Hungary took the risk and after six months “we reached a point where everyone is talking about peace today,” he said. What used to be a taboo topic and a political endeavour can finally be discussed meaningfully today. “We have achieved this much but the war is not yet over,” he added.

With the inauguration of the new US president on January 20, Orbán said, “a new world begins,” but in the meantime, it is worth keeping realistic goals in mind, and he suggested a Christmas ceasefire. “I think I managed to persuade the Russian president to seriously consider this, but the Ukrainians, for some mysterious reason, are not willing,” he said, adding that Christmas was not here yet and hope should not be given up.

Orbán said there was a new reality on the front line: the Russians are advancing and the European Union has lost the war. If the Europeans join the conflict, “declare it their own war”, then an even greater defeat awaits us. “It is in our interest that this should be a small conflict,” he said.

Brussels is in a complete mistake

As a second reality, Orbán said a “well-prepared and committed” player had emerged in the United States “ready to fight for the spirit and future of the West … on the side of Patriots and life.” This, he said, would “completely change” the Western world, adding that “the government is in this reality and has prepared the 2025 budget in line with that reality.” He also added that “Brussels is in the old reality and that’s a complete mistake.”

Concerning the war in Ukraine, Orbán said that in April 2022 “the sides were just hours from an agreement, but it was made impossible by the West’s interference.” “There was an opportunity for a truce and lasting peace … but they messed it up,” he said.

Referring to ties between the US and the European Union, Orbán said he expected “major, serious disputes” and added that “we Hungarians need to participate in a way that we also benefit.” It is important that the disputes are concluded in agreements that are “acceptable for both America and Europe,” he said.

The Hungarian government would “not allow Hungary to be turned into Magdeburg”

Speaking about the relationship between the European Commission and Hungary, Orbán said the two sides saw eye to eye on certain matters but in some areas “the positions are antagonistic”. As an example for the latter, Orbán said the Hungarian government would “not allow Hungary to be turned into Magdeburg” through the EU “forcing their rules on us” under which illegal migrants should be allowed to enter. He added that the two sides were in a similarly antagonistic opposition over “issues around gender”.

Orbán said Hungary was Brussels’ opposition: “we think that if we cannot change Brussels through taking over the majority and reshaping it in a way that is good for nation states, we will all suffer … Brussels needs to be occupied; we need to acquire a majority.” That is the goal of the Patriots group, the prime minister said.

The prime minister said “in the European Union the Patriots must raise the flag and then the others will gather under it”.

The Patriots are successful and the European People’s Party is stuck in the past, Orbán said, calling the issue of war and peace the deepest fault line in EU politics.

He put EU countries into three groups: those who support the war, those who oppose the war, such as Hungary and Slovakia, and those who pursue survival tactics by “saying nothing”.

Orbán said that radical pro-war politicians believed that if they had spent more money on the war, if more weapons had been sent, it would have been won. “This is not our war”, he added in response.

Hungarian economy will be restarted

On the “ambitious” 2025 budget adopted by lawmakers, Orbán said the Hungarian economy had weathered the three years of war and had a chance for a successful restart.

In Hungary, everyone who wants to can still work, the annual pensioners’ bonus has been protected despite the higher budget deficit, wages have grown over the past three years bar one, family protection measures remain in place, including tax allowances for those raising children, and regulated household energy prices mean Hungarians pay the least in Europe for electricity and gas, he added.

Since 2010, Hungarians have shown that “we are capable of doing things we couldn’t do before”, Orbán said. This is why out of 100 people, more than 80 are working, and the country is connected by motorways and expressways, he added.

Today, the Hungarian economy is in such a state that the moment peace comes, it can take off, Orbán said. He also mentioned subsidised credit for young blue-collar workers, the Demjan Sandor Programme, and the doubling of the tax allowance for families raising children.

Hungarian economy was too focused on Western markets

On the policy of economic neutrality, Orbán said it would be an exaggeration to say that it would solve the problems caused by the difficulties of the German economy, but he said he was certain that “it can make a difference”.

The prime minister said the Hungarian economy’s ties were previously too focused on Western markets.

“If we see that there is a problem in Europe, the answer is that we need to develop economic relations in all other directions,” he said, adding that he had high hopes for US relations, but it was also important not to give up on relations with the Russians. The prime minister advised Hungarian companies to participate in the Russian economy in areas not affected by sanctions, and urged businesses to use the good political relations with the Chinese to advance economic relations.

The greater the problem in Europe, the more Hungary should “push forward” in other parts of the world, Orbán said, adding that “the political conditions are in place” for such manoeuvres. For economic neutrality it is important to have a response for the weakening of Western markets and “make up for what we lost in Europe in other directions”. He added, however, that “it will not be simple and won’t happen overnight”.

Peace, calm, good health, contentedness and love

Addressing the resignation of Katalin Novák and Judit Varga earlier in the year, Orbán acknowledged the achievements of their hard work. “Christian politicians can be expected to be perfect, but we must be fair and impose a big punishment for big mistakes and a light punishment for small ones,” he added.

“There will be scars, but we have recovered, and what you survive will make you even stronger,” Orbán said.

Ahead of Christmas and New Year, the prime minister wished everybody “peace, calm, good health, contentedness and love” and suggested that “nobody should despair … there is no problem that cannot be resolved.” He wished for “more understanding, openness, and honesty towards each other” and added that “it is the cornerstone for all, even for economic success.”

Read also:

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