PM Orban: No Consensus in EU on Ukraine War + Video

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa held a press conference at the end of the last EU summit of the year. At the summit, the leaders of EU member states discussed a number of issues including the war in-Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East and European competitiveness. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was present for the initial part of the meeting, once again rejected the Hungarian prime minister's proposal for a Christmas ceasefire and a Russia-Ukraine prisoner of war exchange.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (right) and European Council President Antonio Costa at press conference following the EU summit on December 19, 2024 (Photo: AFP)

At the press conference, Viktor Orban said that although the Russian-Ukrainian war was the most important political issue covered at the EU summit, without a Bloc-wide consensus, he had no room for maneuver. "If there is no consensus, then one cannot speak on behalf of the European Council. So everything that could be done about the war had to be done independently of the EU Presidency and not within its framework," he explained.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa (from left to right) at the international press conference following the European Council Summit in Brussels on December 19, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Tamas Purger)

As you know, we have done a lot and currently also have a Christmas ceasefire proposal on the table, which we laid out outside the framework of the Presidency,

Viktor Orban reiterated his proposal for a Christmas ceasefire. He also pointed out that the only possible way for the EU to succeed, or even to survive, is to be ambitious, to strive for greatness and to undertake great things. Assessing the Hungarian EU Presidency, soon drawing to an end, the PM said that in the area of enlargement, progress has been made on issues long blocked for the Western Balkans, negotiations with Albania have been started, three intergovernmental conferences had been held and an intergovernmental conference with Serbia was now also within reach.

The decision on full Schengen membership for Bulgaria and Romania -  on the agenda for ten to thirteen years - is also a huge success and will now enter into force on January 1.

Continuing the list of accomplishments, Mr Orban noted that during the Hungarian Presidency was the first time that the 27 agriculture ministers had managed to agree on the future of the common agricultural policy, and that they had also succeeded in concluding a declaration on improving Jewish life and combating anti-Semitism.

The motto we chose for our Presidency was not a joke: to become great again, to 'Make Europe great again'. This is the only way to be competitive and survive,

he stressed. Another important point of the Hungarian Presidency, he said, was the convening of the first meeting of ministers responsible for demographic challenges to discuss Europe's demographic future.

Unprecedented challenges

Viktor Orban thanked the European Commission and Ursula von der Leyen for their cooperation. The Hungarian PM went on to speak about

the unprecedented security challenges of the last six months. There is war in Ukraine, in the Middle East and in Africa, and the threat of escalation is constant. Illegal migration and its consequences threaten to paralyze and tear apart the Schengen area. Economic figures show that the European Union is losing its global competitiveness and we are falling behind our main economic competitors. In the mean time, the other global players have ambitious plans. They have grand strategies. Some focus on remaining great, while others want to become great again.

"Therefore, we decided to opt for a political presidency. As you know, those holding the rotating presidency can choose from among two options, either they run a bureaucratic presidency or they run a political presidency. If you decide to run a bureaucratic one, you're basically concerned with advancing the usual business. If you see that political decisions are also needed, then you opt for a political type of presidency," Viktor Orban said.

I was fortunate as this was not my first presidency. I know the ins and outs and the two options because I had already led the presidency some eleven or thirty years ago. So this second time around was much easier and I dared to embark on a presidency of a political nature. We put a lot of work into these six months. The cream of the Hungarian state apparatus has been working to keep things moving forward,

the PM noted.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, European Council President Antonio Costa  and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (from left to right) at the international press conference following the EU Council Summit in Brussels on December 19, 2024 (Photo: MTI/Tamas Purger)

The Hungarian prime minister also touched on competitiveness, stating that the Budapest Declaration warrants historic attention, given that it calls for a simplification revolution and contains provisions for affordable energy and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, setting deadlines for these tasks and for monitoring by the European Council. "If we want to become competitive, we need to make changes," he pointed out.

Saving lives is key

In response to a journalist's question, Viktor Orban said that everyone wants a lasting solution and peace, and everyone thinks and talks about this in a broad geopolitical context. "Hungary also has its own limitations," he said, "so its international influence can only extend as far, as remaining in harmony with itself allows."

That is why in the last initiative we did not set grand geopolitical and peace establishing goals. The 'big boys' will do that. There is much talk about European values, but I think the most important value is life,

he said. "It will be Christmas. I see no reason why people can't be prevented from dying on the front line for at least the two or three days of the Orthodox Christmas. I have taken steps to this end. Likewise, I see no obstacle preventing the parties from agreeing that a few hundred people, say 700 prisoners from each side being released to go home, at least for these few days."

This may be small compared to the grand geopolitical goals, but still, if a few thousand fewer people die at Christmas and a few hundred or a thousand fathers can go home to their families, that is a European interest. That is what I proposed and I think it is doable,

the Hungarian premier stressed. 

Viktor Orban: No solutions on the battlefield

The past three years have clearly shown that there is no solution to this war on the battlefield, he stated. "I have seen belligerent declarations, military maneuvers, new weapons, hundreds of thousands dead, hundreds of thousands maimed, and who knows how many hundreds of thousands of widows and orphans. I have also seen war plans, but so far I do not see signs this conflict being resolved on the battlefield. If a conflict doesn't get resolved on the battlefield, then another resolution has to be found," he said, adding

Communication, meetings, negotiations, diplomacy. Diplomacy has to take back the lead from the generals who are controlling the events. Otherwise the war will not end, or at least not in the foreseeable future, and there will only be losses again and again.

Responding to another question, the prime minister said that the future and security of Europe strongly contingent on upholding transatlantic cooperation.

Maintaining transatlantic cooperation means that the two pillars of transatlantic power, America and Europe, work together. A new American president will be inaugurated on January 20. And I recommend for us, Europeans, to have strategic patience. Let us not do anything that would make future strategic cooperation in the transatlantic network more difficult,

he replied. When asked how Donald Trump would end the war in 24 hours, Mr Orban responded that

I am not authorized to speak about the intentions of other leaders.

EU steps up pressure on Russia

The European Council President Antonio Costa spoke of how the European Union is set to increase the pressure on Russia, including with the implementation of additional sanctions.

The European Council urges all countries to immediately cease all direct or indirect assistance to Russia,

Mr Costa said, declaring, "now is not the time for different scenarios; now is the time to prepare Ukraine for all possible scenarios, and we stand by Ukraine in all scenarios". As he put it, at the summit, EU leaders had agreed that the European Union is ready to do whatever is necessary, for as long as is needed to strengthen Ukraine.

He also underlined that the Council reaffirmed, inter alia, its support for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law, in line with the key principles and objectives of the Ukrainian Peace Formula. The European Union remains committed to supporting Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction in coordination with international partners.

On the EU's place in the world, Costa said that in the multipolar world order it is in the EU's interest to find partners on all continents, in the spirit of shared values, including respect for international law and the fight against climate change. The Council president also called the United States and the United Kingdom the Bloc's two closest partners, saying the EU is ready to continue its cooperation with Washington.

2025 is a watershed

Ursula von der Leyen stressed that 2025 will be a decisive year in the Russian-Ukrainian war. The Commission president said that the EU must also be persistent and ensure that Ukraine is victorious and gains a strong position. She also emphasized the need to protect Ukraine's energy systems in particular. Europe has so far provided nearly €130 billion in assistance to Ukraine, ensuring its economic and financial stability until the end of 2025. G7 support and the Ukraine facility have also helped to cover a significant portion of Ukraine's finance gap, enabling the purchase of military equipment, she noted.

Von der Leyen underlined that Ukraine's EU accession remains a priority. Provided the country continues its reforms, the first chapter of accession negotiations could open early next year, to be followed by the opening of others during the year.

On the situation in the Middle East, she expressed hopefulness for the emergence of a new, peaceful regime after Assad's rule. Europe is doing everything it can to help Syria get back on track, she added.

The Commission president also underlined the great success of the Hungarian EU Presidency.

The president of the European Commission also recognized as a major success Bulgaria and Romania joining the Schengen area regarding land border crossings as of January 1 - a move that was finalized during the Hungarian EU Presidency.

Cover photo: Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (right) and European Council President Antonio Costa (left) at press conference following the EU summit on December 19, 2024 (Photo: AFP)