PM Orban: This Weekend, We'll Have a Chance at Peace + Video

Hungary's prime minister gave an interview to public Kossuth Radio.

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban pictured in Kossuth Radio's studio during an interview on the "Good Morning Hungary" program, January 27, 2023 (Photo: MTI/PM's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)

– Now we're at the end, nearing the limit of our possibilities. In the history of all wars there has been a point that offered the possibility of turning back from it, and we are very close to that point, PM Viktor Orban told Kossuth Radio on Friday morning. – We have not isolated this regional conflict, and now the Ukraine war is appearing in every segment of the world. In terms of whether it is possible to stop the current drifting into war, hope is fading very day, PM Orban emphasized. He said:

this weekend we will get a chance for peace,

to inch closer to halting the war, and then to survive the next few months until the US presidential elections.  – We can form a transatlantic peace coalition and that can stop the war, he added.

The things journalists will tell people about will have been decided by then, Mr Orban said. In his view, there is a war psychosis in Europe that will produce a logical outcome, which is that

military units from Western European countries will arrive on Ukraine's territory.

PM Orban said he also keeps an eye on the Hungarian left, torn between positions for war and peace, because the Hungarian people are pro-peace, but those who sponsor the left want war. The left wants to resolve this conflict, as they did with migration, by saying that there is no war and there will be no war. But if someone makes an assessment about where we were two years ago and where we are now, it becomes clear that we are heading towards war, Mr Orbán pointed out.

– They are trying to silence pro-peace forces, he said. Every move by the West is met with a Russian response, which brings with it the escalation of war, Mr Orban said, adding that

we are in the last moments before reaching a point of no return.

PM Orban highlighted that the recent Peace March in Budapest had exuded a cordial atmosphere. He said that although left-wing voters do not want Hungary to get involved in the war, the leaders of the Hungarian left are on the side of conflict.

– Hungary is able to resist the pressure of war because we have built up a defense system against the forces of Brussels and Washington," Mr Orban said. He recalled that this system was built during the migration crisis, and the Hungarian left is constantly attacking it because they wanted to force Hungary into accepting migrants. He said the greatest strength against any infiltration attempt is the strength of a stable government. He emphasized how they had learned to fend off pressure from the European Union, adding that even their attempts at financial blackmail had been unsuccessful. Hungary has mastered the art of warding off imperial ambitions coming from Brussels, he added.

PM Orban emphasized that Hungary must definitely stay out of NATO's military mission in Ukraine. Control over Hungarian military units would be transferred to a NATO commander, and from then on, we would no longer be able to keep Hungarian troops out of the war. He said it must be made clear that Hungary has the right to adhere to the basic NATO treaty, to which we joined. This defines NATO as a defence alliance, so

no one can force us to take part in a military action outside NATO territory,

nor can we be forced to provide money. According to PM Orban, NATO now demands an annual sum of USD 45 billion from member states, which he said he refused to approve. 

Regardless of the election result, the government will continue to stand by peace, but how long we can hold out does depend on the election results, Mr Orban pointed out. If the government receives a reinforcement from voters, it can hold out longer. After all, the voters are the gold standard behind our actions and words. We now need strength to stay out of the war, he said. The question today is not how long the prime minister will last, but what the people are saying.

We have already lost so much in the war because people are funding it against their will,

– Mr Orban explained. He highlighted that people are faced with a war surcharge in the shops and stores, because the economy is not working as it should. – We have to keep paying amounts into the EU coffers that Brussels is sending over to Ukraine, PM Orban said. He said he is fighting to ensure that Hungarians' money is not given to Ukraine. He emphasized that speculators, including George Soros in particular, were making a huge profit from the war. A prolonged war is not good for any country, not even for the victors, he explained, recalling and old lesson of history.

Regarding the state's repurchase of the Liszt Ferenc International Airport in Budapest, PM Orban underlined that Hungary only has one such hub, and the fact that it's back in Hungarian ownership had also increased the wealth of Hungarian citizens. He emphaspzed that they had involves a French company in the management of the airport, because the French are among the best in the world. Later, however, a Qatari company may also join in, he added.

Cover photo: Hungarian PM Viktor Orban in Kossuth Radio's studio (Photo: MTI/PM's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)