‘They want to force us into war, and they’re using all the tools they can. So far we’ve managed to resist,’ said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in an interview with Swiss weekly newspaper Weltwoche. He emphasised that ‘This gives me hope. Hungary’s political leadership is strong enough to keep our country out of the war. I say this in all humility, but also with confidence.’
The War in Ukraine: Hungarians Die in the Hundreds on the Front Lines
In the Thursday issue of the newspaper, Orbán was asked about Hungary’s position on the war in Ukraine. He stated that Hungary is most affected by the EU sanctions against Russia, which have driven up the prices of oil and gas. In recent times, significant progress has been made in the industrial sector in Hungary, but the necessary energy must be imported, according to the PM, who also indicated that this cost Hungary 7 billion euros in 2021 and 17 billion euros in 2022.
The Prime Minister stated that the war ‘weighs on our souls and psyches.’ Ukraine is our neighbour, where Hungarians also live. They are called up as soldiers and die in the hundreds on the front lines, he added, emphasising that this war is taking place not far from Hungary, so everyone wants peace in the country.
He said
‘We pray and trust in the Lord that the warring parties will come to their senses.
We are under constant pressure. They want to force us into war, and they are not holding back. So far, we have managed to resist. This gives me hope. Hungary’s political leadership is strong enough to keep our country away from war. I say this with humility but also with confidence,’ said Orbán, also emphasising that he regards Christian teachings as valid in politics.
In response to a question, the Prime Minister called the most important realisation of the war in Ukraine the fact that today Europe has withdrawn from the debate. He believes that in the decisions made in Brussels, American interests more often than European ones, noting that in the war in Europe, ‘today the Americans have the final say.’
The Prime Minister also called it unfortunate that Donald Trump lost the US presidential election, as if the former Republican president had won, ‘there would have been no war.’ Orbán Viktor also noted at this point that the change of government in Germany had ‘done its job.’
The Prime Minister agreed with the journalist’s suggestion that the deeper cause of Europe’s weakness is to be found in the European Union, which dismantles nation states without putting anything workable in their place. Orbán Viktor said, he also sees it this way. The EU wants ‘ever closer union.’ And while Hungary might not agree on the goal, it does on the way. The Prime Minister spoke about the outcome of the war, saying that ‘no one can win it.’ Against the Ukrainians stands a 140 million strong nuclear power, against the Russians the whole of NATO. This makes the situation so dangerous. There is a deadlock that can easily turn into a world war, he pointed out.
Orbán recalled that two weeks before the outbreak of the war, when he last met Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the Russian president told him that Hungary’s NATO membership was not a problem, only Ukraine’s and Georgia’s were.
Putin’s problem is the American missile bases already established in Romania and Poland, as well as the possible expansion of NATO into Ukraine and Georgia to station weapons there. Moreover, the Americans have cancelled important disarmament agreements.
That’s why Putin couldn’t sleep peacefully at night anymore,
said Viktor Orbán, who also noted that he understands what Putin said, but he does not agree with him.
The PM also explained in the interview that Russia is another civilisation where European political norms do not work. ‘It doesn’t matter whether we like it or not,’ he said. He added that Hungarians must find a way to live with a big, dangerous power like Russia, which is their neighbour.
Viktor Orbán stated that he would not even want to imagine what would happen if Russia lost the war, since Russia is a nuclear power. It would be a geopolitical shock, a global-scale, potentially devastating earthquake, much worse than the collapse of Yugoslavia. The fact that such scenarios are now being easily entertained in the West testifies to a disturbing, even frightening detachment from reality of pro-war politicians and blindness to the risks inherent in their own politics, he emphasised.
Speaking of peacekeeping, he said that peace begins in the heart, then it must reach the head, which then leads the hand. This order is important: one must wish for peace, then one must want it, and then one must create it. Today, the will is missing, at least in the West, he added, then talked about how the Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Turks, and Brazilians are in favour of peace.
The West has lost its ability to unite the world for a cause. Its philosophical foundations are spatially limited. This is a new phenomenon, he pointed out.
The United States When the Democrats Rule: Bad News for Hungary
When asked about the United States, Viktor Orbán noted that the Hungarians’ experience clear. When the Democrats are in power in Washington, Hungarians take cover. They always want to change Hungarians, just like the politicians in Brussels. They want to prescribe how to handle migration and how to teach children, he believes that this is disrespectful towards Hungary. He added that Hungary is a successful country, and it does its part for Europe. Hungarians are defenders of the castles on the edge of the continent. Brussels does not recognise this work, he believes. Viktor Orbán said that Donald Trump is not the world’s last hope for peace, but he is one hope. According to the Prime Minister, Donald Trump would probably be able to establish peace in a few weeks.
Mass Migration: People Will No Longer Recognise Their Own Country
Talking about Switzerland, the PM called the Alpine country important, which is what it wants to be, yet is not isolated. ‘You’re lucky in that. If we were located where Switzerland is, we’d be neutral too. It’s a Swiss luxury. We don’t have it.’ he said.
Answering a question, the Prime Minister identified the greatest short-term danger posed by uncontrolled immigration as the deterioration of public safety. In the short term, there are also economic losses, the PM remarked, but in the long term what will happen is that people will no longer recognise their own country, that they will lose their own homeland.
No to Gender Ideology, Yes to Subsidiarity
He identified the biggest danger in gender ideology as the fact that children between 14 and 18 years old must grow into the world. During which period their identity must be strengthened, not weakened and destabilised, as gender ideologists do. This destroys children irreversibly and irrevocably. No one has the right to do that, emphasised the PM.
When asked by the journalist what the Hungarian prime minister would do if he became ‘the dictator of the EU’ for a day, as the former president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, called him, Viktor Orbán replied sarcastically: ‘I’d do what Mr. Juncker was keen on doing: get drunk. Fortunately, there’s no such possibility.’ He then added: ‘There’s a good handbook written by former Bavarian minister president Edmund Stoiber. In it, Stoiber describes how the European Union could be reorganised on the basis of subsidiarity. It’s not knowledge that’s lacking, but the will.’
