The first thought on Prime Minister Orban's mind upon hearing the news of the assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was whether he would survive, as they were on friendly terms. His second thought was that he would be left alone in Brussels with his anti-war views, and the third was that it would impose extra security measures on him, which he does not like. This, according to an in-depth interview Mr. Orbán gave to the popular Patriota channel, where Hungary's premier sat down for a lengthy discussion with journalist Daniel Bohar.
On the subject of a possible nuclear war, PM Orban emphasized that
European politicians view the atomic bomb as a tactical deterrent, not as something that should actually be used. However, things they don't even consider at the onset of a war could still happen in the end, as usually the worst-case scenarios are realized.
Phrases such as "NATO mission in Ukraine," which raises the hairs on the back of one's neck, as well as terms such as "tactical nuclear weapon" or "world war," or the idea of sending troops on behalf of a defense alliance like NATO to a war that takes place outside the territory of the alliance, are slowly becoming commonplace. This is scary, but we're starting to get used to it. Having read some diaries penned before the previous world wars, PM Orban underlined that even back then, political leaders promised a swift end, and not one of them ever promised a world war.
We, Hungarians, are closer to the reality of war
Hungary was on the losing side in the world wars, so our reflexes are different," PM Orban said, adding that "we are closer to the reality of war, which is a terrible thing. There, hands, legs, and heads go missing, women are left widowed, children are orphaned, and this is what's happening in Ukraine: there is such a loss of manpower that they may not even be able to recover, just as our country is still suffering from the losses of the First World War.
– The horrors of bomb craters in Budapest and the bombed-out capital immediately spring to mind, but in the West these alarming personal experiences are not so automatic," PM Orban explained.
In ten years' time, people may evaluate the currently unfolding events as the precursor to a Third World War. We cannot rule out that, if things go awry and we cannot restrain the current war psychosis in Brussels, then the history of these years will also go down as a prelude, an episode belonging to the first years of a great world war,
– Mr Orban said.
People also paying for this war in the shops
PM Orban underlined that Europe is already suffering terrible losses, with hundreds of billions of euros in economic damage. People are also paying for the war when they go to the shops, because peacetime prices are not usually like this. In a climate of war, credit interest rates go up, energy prices go up, transport costs go up, entrepreneurs become cautious because they must halt their developments, and everyone pays the price. Even Hungary is financing the war, even though it is doing its best to stay out of it, PM Orban said, arguing that he strongly disliked all this right from the start.
According to calculations, the number of victims now hovers half a million to 1 million people, with only two Slavic countries currently at war.
They said "Putin cannot win," but the Russians have successfully switched to a wartime economy
Hungary is also paying the price of war in the form of missing children, Mr Orban said. The initial war strategy was that the Ukrainians were ready to fight and we would give them money and weapons, but so far no one has answered the questin of how much of this would be needed to drive the Russians out. Their answer was that "Putin cannot win," but there is still no answer to the original question and, in the meantime, Russia has successfully transitioned itself into a war economy. The question of how much the whole enterprise will cost is left unanswered because the war's financiers have no clue themselves," PM Orban said.
– Europe is drifting into a war without even having any estimates anout the costs and means that are necessary to achieve its military objectives. I have never seen anything more irresponsible in my life
– he added.
Every European war is also a civil war
PM Orban also pointed out that
in the First and Second World Wars, Europe lost some fifty-seven million people, including one and a half million young men, mainly men with families. If they and their children and grandchildren had lived, Hungary and Europe would not have demographic problems today, and the migration problem would not even exist.
Every war in Europe is also a European civil war, where we are killing each other, he said.
He emphasized that wars bring a heavy daily economic burden for all, pain and suffering for all the families lost, and they lessen the value of the white Christian European civilization.
This is why war must not be allowed to spread any further, and all armed conflicts must be stopped and declared a failure. If a conflict does break out, it must be immediately isolated, contained, closed, limited and negotiated, not jumped into, expanded to international hoizons, backed, and magnified,
– PM Orban emphasized, adding however, that the Western world is teetering on the brink of world war.
It'd be good to uphold the current state of affairs and use a professional army to do what must be done
In Europe, many thought that we do not need to restore conscription because we have peace, Mr Orban underlned. It is a fine task to defend the homeland, because a soldier is not a worker in uniform, but a warrior. There will be determined, serious people who will undertake this task, so the rest of us remain unaffected by conscription, which is where we are now. It'd be good to uphold the current state of affairs and use a professional army to do what must be done, Mr Orban declared. Young people should be encouraged to take part in some type of reserve training so that they can handle weapons and defend themselves, he said, adding that some basic skills can be taught to young people even without conscription, and that defense should be taught in schools.
Brussels to tell Hungarian families to send their sons into the army
The idea of a Europe-wide conscription, put forward by EPP politician Manfred Weber, is enough to make your blood boil, Mr Orban said.
From Brussels or Germany, Hungarian families would be told to enlist their sons in a European army with compulsory conscription and where to go.
– We do not want someone else to decide on the whereabouts or deployment of our young soldiers. We must relinquish the idea of a pan-European army with compulsory conscription, this is a crazy thought," Viktor Orban said. Hungary must stay out of the war, as the country was forced into the last two, he added. Now, it is proving extremely difficult to stay out of it, he said, noting how he feels the hand that are pushing our country into war.
The more stable the Hungarian government, the clearer the Hungarian people's position, the more chance for Hungary to stay out of the war.
PM Orban also mentioned that he can find allies on certain issues or ask for a renegotiation on others. "I have a list in my pocket about what I must do in these situations and I try, but at times, all this is becoming rather brutal," he explained.
The big question going forward if how to stay out of an actual NATO-led mission to Ukraine
Mr Orban continued by stating that NATO will face an even more difficult dilemma because it is a military defense organization and wants to go down the path of becoming a player in this war itself. There are limited chances to stop NATO from doing this because they don't want to be persuaded, he said. How to stay out of an actual NATO-led mission in Ukraine is still a matter for the future. We will find a way to do that, because we want to preserve the security that NATO provides, as NATO members must mutually protect each other in the event of an attack. However, there is no attack on any NATO member state at this point, Mr Orban said. We must stay out f NATO's efforts to move forward, he underlined, adding that he began looking into the legal solutions employed by the French and what agreements can be made, stressing that they will find a solution for this.
In NATO, too, we must stand by peace and prevent Hungary from being forced into war, and we must stay out it, he emphasized.
The risk can be measured in the tens and hundreds of thousands of young people who have died, but perhaps we'll succeed where Miklos Horthy (Hungarian statesman who served as the regent of the Kingdom of Hungary during the interwar period-ed.) and (former PM) Istvan Tisza have failed.
Meanwhile, the other players are lining their pockets and there's a constant race in the world economy, with Europe looking the other way. The Americans are selling off their surplus oil and gas supplies without a hitch after the Europeans were banned from buying from Russian, except for Hungary, because we resisted and managed to stay out of trouble.
Overall, the Americans and the Chinese are profiting on this war. The Russians, because of the burdens of war, do not, but their economy is now linked to China's because the Europeans refuse to trade with Russia,
– he explained.
The fight can be won if the pro-peace side wins the European elections
In PM Orban's view, the pro-peace side should secure victory in the upcoming European Parliament elections. More and more people want to stay out of the war, just like in Slovakia. If the people of Europe vote for peace in the EP elections, this fight can be won. In the US, however, things woon't be easy even with the return of Donald Trump, but if that happens, we could see a disembarkment from the path of war.
The road to peace is through long negotiations and the most important thing now is an immediate ceasefire. However, we need some perspective that the leaders in Europe and America are in their right minds. If that was to happen, things could change quickly, Europeans' fears about the economy would be reduced, investment would start to flow, inflation would come down, and normal circulation would return to the European economy,
– Mr Orban said.
Regarding the presence of the war-lobby in Hungary, Mr Orban explained that even though conspiracy theories are always simplistic, therefore we should be wary, conspiracies do exist. The world's biggest conspirator is none other than George Soros, a stock exchange speculator, a schemer, a man who makes things happen behind the scenes. PM Orban emphasized that Soros wanted to buy up the entire Hungarian economy back in 1990, and then the OTP Bank, adding that the current war also has many speculators, including the arms industry itself.
According to their strategy, they need four things to succeed: weapons, the production of which they will then finance, people to fight, and these are the poor Ukrainians. In addition, they also need governments that want all these, and they need to buy them, just as they have bought the left wing in Hungary. The fourth aspect is the media, which they control and which exudes a pro-war atmosphere.
This is Western Europe's media landscape, but in Hungary, one can disagree and argue about the war. Anywhere else, if you take a different position on LGBTQ, migration, family policy, demography or the war, you can expect retaliation, Mr Orban said. Freedom in the West is in bad shape, but here in Hungary, anyone can say what they want," he declared.
There is no such thing in the West
One half of the Hungarian media is liberal, while the other provides a conservative, national, sovereignist interpretation of the world, but there is no such thing in the West.
There, anyone who speaks out of line will be discouraged.
– So, in the sreenplay of war profiteers there are weapons, soldiers, bought out governments and media outlets purchased by pro-war capitalists,
– Hungary's prime minister summerized. Everyone will suffer as a consequence of the pro-war camp's actions, he said, adding that we Hungarians should be left alone, just as on the migration and LGBTQ issues.
Because if it turns out that Hungary is a successful and safe democracy, even though everyone had condemned it to death and the country had stayed out of the war, then maybe others will also try to follow suit.
Those in the pro-war camp view us as are a dangerous example, but we will put on our boxing gloves while we can, PM Orban said, pledging to make all efforts possible to keep Hungary out of the current insanities.
June 9th is an important date
Mr Orban emphasized that June 9th could be an important stage, as it also raises the stakes in the US elections, where a positive result could bring a turnaround. The people of Europe should reprimand those who have brought trouble on them, he suggested.
He said the current EC is the worst Commission in European politics because it's turned into a "war council" and none of its commitments are fulfilled.
We have to prove that Europe is ours and that things taking place are in like with the people's will, – If they want peace, let there be peace,
– he stated.
We are part of a big game where the stakes are huge, and this is what the governing parties' campaign is all about, PM Orban said. We will see if we can mobilize people. What we have to decide on now must be approached with honesty and serious consideration.
– It is not about party issues, it is about war and peace, about the future, about the future of our children, about the prospects for life in Hungary,
– Mr Orban said.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was the guest of journalist Daniel Bohar on the popular Patriota channel at 6.30 pm on Sunday evening.
