PM Orban: We Will Recover From the War and Are Within Arm’s Reach of Peace

In a year-end interview, the prime minister addressed questions about Europe, Trump, and the controversial clemency case.

PM Viktor Orban's year-end interview (Photo: Facebook)

"We will recover from the war," PM Viktor Orban declared in an evening interview. Speaking to Hungary's public news channel M1, Mr. orban reflected on the year, stating that "we are within arm’s reach of peace." He added that surviving 2024 was crucial, given that the war has been raging in Hungary's neighborhood for three years. The prospect of its end, he said, would feel like "coming up for air after being underwater."

Peace mission: what are its results?

When asked about the outcomes of his two peace missions, PM Orban described the overall picture as dismal. However, whereas six months ago - when we took over the EU's rotating  presidency - talking about peace was practically forbidden, now everyone is talking about peace," he added, explaining how the situation's changed.

There are disagreements between the incoming U.S. president, Donald Trump, and EU leadership over the ongoing war in Ukraine.

"This war has been lost by the European Union," Mr. Orban said.

While EU officials will attempt to communicate this differently, the reality has already been evident on the battlefield, he added.

The Patriots will transform the entire Western world

Mr. Orban suggested that Brussels is "lagging behind with an outdated brochure." He said with Trump taking office, the world will change and the Patriots will grow stronger, which will fundamentally reshape the Western world.

The prime minister recalled that in 2022, there was a moment when peace could have been brokered between the warring sides, but the West did not want it at the time. Responding to whether he could mediate between the parties, Mr. Orban remarked that the political world often operates very differently than analysts imagine. He dismissed the need for mediation, asserting that "the Americans are a large power, so they will articulate to everyone what they want."

Brussels lacks serious clout

PM Orban argued that in major international tests of strength, Brussels does not exist as Europe’s representative. Instead, weight lies with Paris, Berlin, and Rome. Yet, he noted, both the French and German governments have failed and are now fragmented, reflecting Europe’s weakened state in the current global environment.

While Hungary is in complete harmony with Brussels on certain issues, there are others where positions are irreconcilable, Mr. Orban said. "For example, we will not allow Hungary to be turned into another Magdeburg," he emphasized. He also underscored Hungary's firm stance on issues like gender ideology, which has led to legal battles. "These are issues where we will never reach agreement," he stated.

PM Orban: we are the opposition to Brussels

The prime minister explained that the Patriots aim to take over and reform Brussels to rebuild a stronger Europe. Asked how the Patriots could overcome the head start enjoyed by the European People's Party (EPP) or the Socialists, Mr. Orban drew a parallel to 1988, when communists held the advantage, yet today Fidesz governs Hungary, having been founded only that year.

Demand for the Patriots will grow each day. "We're successful, while they are stuck in the past," Mr. Orban said, describing the older parties in the European Parliament.

He added that while other European nations see the Russia-Ukraine war as their own, Hungary does not share this perspective. "We believe that this is not our war."

How is the Hungarian economy doing?

Hungary’s economy has endured the past three years and has not lost its chance for success, Mr. Orban claimed. He said the fact that the government has managed to preserve its utility cost reduction scheme is a significant achievement, adding that wages - with one exception - have risen each and every year, and the government has also been able to defend retirees'13th-month bonus pensions.

"The question was whether we could emerge from all this in a recoverable state, or ready for action" - and we fall into the latter category," he stated. According to Mr. Orban, Hungarians have proven to themselves that they can achieve previously unthinkable goals. "One million new jobs, utility cost reduction scheme, bridges over the Danube, tax benefits for children - none of these existed before 2010, and many doubted that Hungary would be able to deliver them. But we did."

Looking ahead, PM Orban envisioned new, unprecedented initiatives: the doubling of family tax benefits, the introducion of worker loans, and the launching of the so-called Sandor Demjan program. Asked whether Hungary’s economic growth could offset the problems caused by the decline of German industry, Mr. Orban called it "the million-dollar question." He suggested that the greater Europe’s difficulties, the more Hungary must expand into other markets.

"We have created the political conditions for this through economic neutrality; now it’s up to businesses to seize the opportunity," Mr. Orban said.

Has Fidesz recovered from the clemency scandal?

The prime minister acknowledged that the resignations of former Justice Minister Judit Varga and former President Katalin Novak cost Fidesz the fruits of several years of hard work. He described these female politicians as "global stars," who were received as such worldwide. They understood how to showcase Hungary’s achievements abroad.

"You do something foolish that you can’t even explain. It is incomprehensible why you did that - this is unacceptable in politics," Mr. Orban said of the clemency scandal. He added that while they have recovered, the wounds remain. "The things we survive will only make us stronger," he concluded.

In judging the state of public discourse, we must strive for fairness, Mr. Orban stated. He remarked that the perception of declining standards is not unique to Hungary but can be felt throughout the entire Western world. The weight of personal interactions is shifting, as is the way people speak to one another, he observed, adding that these changes are also reshaping politics.

Hungary must address this "civilizational challenge," PM Orban said.  

When asked what he wishes for Hungary in 2025, Mr. Orban said, "The same as I wish for my own family: peace, calm, and health. There is no problem that cannot be solved if one’s heart is open and one is willing to seek solutions. More understanding, fairness, and honesty toward one another—that is what I wish for," he explained. "Everything depends on this," he said, because 

our lives will improve next year, the question is whether we will be able to live them more beautifully.