‘There is a fundamental difference of opinion between Brussels and Hungary regarding the assessment and strategy of the Russo-Ukrainian war, as Brussels is pro-war,’ the political director of the Prime Minister stated on public Kossuth radio.
Balázs Orbán observed that Brussels believes it is in the interest of European countries for this conflict to continue or possibly escalate. Hungary, on the other hand, is of a different opinion; this conflict has no military solution and a diplomatic resolution is needed. ‘It is worth supporting Ukraine,’ but a support policy should be developed that brings us closer to peace and does not threaten the expansion of the war conflict. Hungary has made it clear before that it does not oppose supporting Ukraine, but it must be done with specific checks and balances in the EU budget, and only if the EU funds due to Hungary are not redirected to Ukraine, stated the politician.
In his view, the attempts to blackmail and threaten Hungary as well as the imposition of financial sanctions have backfired on those who devised this plan. They received strong international reactions noting the sanctions are not about the rule of law and transparency but rather exercises of power and coercion. ‘Interestingly, this increased Hungary’s room for manoeuvre.’ This also contributed to reaching a good compromise that aligns with Hungary’s national interests, noted Balázs Orbán. He mentioned that EU funds are arriving in Hungary without any further issues, and few know that the most amount of money is in fact sent here. Conflicts still exist, as the President of the European Commission threatened that Hungary would not have access to EU funds until it changes its migration and gender policies, which obviously have nothing to do with the rule of law.
‘We must consider it a great Hungarian victory’ that all 27 member states of the European Council unequivocally conveyed to the European Commission that discriminating against a member state is not acceptable. The European Council, representing all member state leaders, sent a very clear message to the European Commission that ‘negotiations on funds should proceed fairly, honestly, and within the framework of legal procedures,’ emphasized the political director of the Prime Minister. Regarding the approved €50 billion support for Ukraine, Balázs Orbán also pointed out that a serious and rigorous procedure has been established. This involves continuous monitoring of the use of funds, taking into account the future EU budget and annual negotiations by the European Council. If the heads of state agree, payments can be stopped or modified, he added.
Orbán sees ‘great nervousness’ in some European countries, with protesting farmers fearing job loss, competitiveness, and the decline of the current European standard of living and lifestyle from Spain to Germany to Poland. This is why changes are needed in Brussels, ‘because European leaders who do not notice this, who make decisions contrary to the will of the European people, cannot remain in power.’
He noted that the European Parliament elections and the US presidential election with the possible return of the Trump-led Republicans to power could signal a turning point, providing an opportunity to resolve the Russian–Ukrainian conflict. If not, Hungary must prepare for long-term warfare and the country needs to make significant efforts to stay out of the war while preserving peace and security.
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Sources: Hungarian Conservative/Kossuth Radio/MTI
