Viktor Orbán gave his regular Friday public radio interview from an unusual location: Sopron, where an off-site cabinet meeting was taking place. Among other topics, he touched upon the NATO summit in Vilnius, the issue of illegal migration and the ‘Brussels response’ to it, war, and inflation.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on social media on Thursday evening that he would give an interview to Kossuth Rádió on 14 July, during the usual Friday morning time slot, but the interview would be broadcast from Sopron. The reason for this was the extended government meeting, which concluded on Friday at noon.
Commenting on the conclusions of the recently concluded NATO summit, the prime minister noted that it seems that the war will continue. He noted that speech of peace is rare, and the war and sanctions are not likely to disappear from our lives any time soon, as
‘the West wants war’.
The issue of migration was also discussed in the interview. According to the Prime Minister, ‘in Brussels, during a stabbing discussion, they decided to introduce mandatory migrant quotas.’ He nailed down that ‘if we obey Brussels, migrant ghettos should be established in Hungary.’
Viktor Orbán noted that there is another direct threat from Brussels since, as he said, the Commission issues recommendations every year on what member states should do in terms of their economies, and what changes should be implemented. The PM acknowledged that at times the recommendations are sensible, but
it often happens that they make no sense.
According to Orbán, the in Brusselites ‘live in a bubble’. That is why they are suggesting that the utility fee reduction programme be abolished, but as opposed to that, the Hungarian government is committed to not eliminating it.
In terms of the war on Ukraine, Viktor Orbán remarked: ‘Let’s understand Zelenskyy; let’s imagine ourselves in his place. He is fighting for the survival of his people; he looks at the conflict from his own perspective and wants to defend his nation,’ said Orbán. That is only natural, he acknowledged, but added that if Ukraine were admitted to NATO, a Third World War would break out, which is why the ‘demands’ of the Ukrainians had to be rejected in Vilnius.
The PM did not mince his words when he expressed his opinion of the Ukrainian leadership. As he put it,
the Ukrainians are ‘aggressive’ and ‘keep coming up with ever newer demands.’
Orbán even sent a message to Kyiv: ‘If you are in trouble and ask for help, you should behave yourself.’
Peace will not be reached, only escalation if Western countries, especially the United States, continue to support Ukraine with weapons, he declared, reminding that Washington is to strengthen the arsenal of the Ukrainians with cluster bombs. ‘In the Christian world we belong to, peace and ceasefire are the most important,’ he opined. The PM underscored that peace should be established as soon as possible, as ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia are in danger.
Orbán also pointed out that according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden could put an end to the war, adding that he actually agrees with the Ukrainian President.
‘If the United States said they want peace, it would happen by tomorrow morning,’
he opined, stating that he cannot comprehend why the Americans do not want to do that, and there was no answer at the NATO summit to that question either.
Speaking of inflation, he declared that ‘we have to grab it by the ears, by the neck, and stomp on it.’ Viktor Orbán reiterated that the government has a plan to push down inflation, mentioning the price monitoring system, which he said hundreds of thousands of people are now using in Hungary, as well as the mandatory discounts among the most recent measures. The Prime Minister reminded that according to the latest data, inflation stands at 20.1 per cent, and said the country is on a good track, as the numbers show a decreasing trend. He recalled that the government has pledged to reduce inflation to a single digit by December, but added that it seems now that this may be achieved one and a half months earlier.
