World’s richest Hungarian shares when Huxit is most probable

In an interview, the richest Hungarian, Thomas Peterffy, shared when he thinks a Huxit (i.e. Hungary leaving the European Union) is most likely. He also talked about Russia’s war in Ukraine, the US political scene, Orbán’s visit to Beijing and his talk with Putin, whether Hungary will stay in the NATO and more.

The world’s richest Hungarian, Thomas Peterffy, gave an interview to Válasz Online. Among others, he shared when a possible Huxit could happen, what he thinks about the Russian-Ukrainian war, about Joe Biden and Donald Trump (the latter just called Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán “the leader of Türkiye” – read what he said HERE).

Huxit: when?

Mr Peterffy said many are convinced that once Hungary becomes a net contributor to the EU, it will leave. According to the billionaire, Hungary has no choice but to cooperate with Russia on energy. However, this is becoming increasingly difficult to explain to people, as Russian dependence has been reduced or eliminated everywhere else in Europe. The Hungarian government seems to be seeking to be neutral between East and West, but Peterffy expressed doubts about this.

Hungary in NATO

“If I were Hungary, I would remain a member of NATO, even if the country were to leave the EU,” Peterffy said.

Russian-Ukrainian war

The billionaire believes that the areas affected by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which are predominantly populated by Russians, should probably belong to Russia. He believes this would also benefit Ukrainians, as it would make their nation more homogeneous.

Read also:

• Blooper? Donald Trump called Orbán leader of Türkiye
• Forint in focus today: Interest rate decision on the table

US politics

On the US political situation, Peterffy believes that a strong Republican candidate is needed. He said he doubted whether US President Joe Biden would even be able to run. His health has been deteriorating dramatically lately. If he had to guess today, he’d say Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo would be the candidate.

Peterffy is hoping that former US President Donald Trump can be persuaded to step aside because he is leading the Republican Party to disaster. He says it is impossible to win with only 35 percent of women supporting him, compared with 60 percent of men.

Orbán’s friendship with Putin

According to Peterffy, the dominant interpretation in Western Europe and the US is that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Beijing is a betrayal of Hungary’s federal system.

Government-close oligarchs, business environment

According to Peterffy, the enrichment of Lőrinc Mészáros and István Tiborcz is a serious problem. He says many people in Hungary do not realise how much it weakens the country. Free markets and competition strengthen the economy and increase people’s well-being, anything that goes against this is harmful.

Speaking about the Hungarian business environment, Peterffy believes that the price caps and restrictions imposed by the government are flawed. According to him, if you keep something at a low price through official means, people will buy more and more of it, so the price caps will cost the state more and more.

Read more:

• Central bank’s surprising interest rate decision: forint falls
• Orbán’s tactics failed again, PiS is angry