PM Orban: The State Is Doing Its Job

Bomb threats: authorities have been given a mandate to investigate until the source of the threat is identified.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Kossuth Radio's studio (Photo: Prime Minister's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)

The prime minister pointed out that acts of terrorism occur in Western Europe, making it impossible to dismiss such events with a mere shrug. He said 

if we had allowed migrants in, we would not be facing threats, but acts of terrorism.

– The most important thing is not to let migrants in,” he stressed. “This is the dividing line: opposition parties want to implement the migration pact, while the governing parties reject it by every possible means, he said.

Mr. Orban also emphasized the importance of strengthening Hungary's surveillance capabilities, to ensure that the necessary decisions can be made in time. 

We are back on history’s main stage

Regarding the first decrees of Donald Trump’s presidency, Mr. Orban observed that they precisely mirror the measures Hungary had already implemented—actions for which Hungary faced isolation from Brussels and the Hungarian left.

– “The Hungary they tried to isolate is no longer marginalized; we're back on history’s main stage. In the Western world, our views now represent the majority,” PM Orban declared, adding that revolting was still necessary in Brussels, as it continues to impose the opposite of what both the U.S. President and Hungary stand for.

Mr. Orban recalled that the U.S. President has turned off the money taps. Funding for NGOs and political entities are not coming from Washington, but  “dollars are still rolling in from Brussels,” he added.

The Soros empire is a two-headed dragon; its Washington head has been severed, and now we must decapitate the Brussels head as well,

– he stated. 

Brussels' puppet government, or national government?

PM Orban stated that Slovakia will do exactly as Hungary, but Poland and the Czech Republic will also adopt similar positions, and a new Austrian government is on the horizon. He noted that Trump’s victory has made it possible to openly discuss the real issue at hand. “The struggle is about whether we are governed by puppet governments imposed from Brussels or by national governments. This was the question in the United States as well,” he added.

Regarding energy security, Mr. Orbán noted that Ukraine is attempting to cause trouble for Hungary, but the country can defend itself by maintaining a unified front with Serbia, thanks to the southern bypass route established by the national government. “Without it, both Hungary and Slovakia would be in trouble,” he emphasized, recalling that in the 2010s, when the Hungarian and Slovak gas networks were connected, experts criticized the project as a wasteful expenditure that would never pay off. He suggested that similar criticism of the Budapest–Belgrade railway project would ultimately prove to be unfounded.

He explained that the alternative route prevents Ukraine from sabotaging Hungary, although prices are still rising. He also criticized 

the sanctions regime, saying it's fundamentally flawed, and Hungary has lost 19 billion euros because of it. 

– Hungary cannot be expected to bear the costs of these sanctions. The sanctions have drained 7.5 trillion forints from Hungary’s state coffers, and Ukraine is only making matters worse. This is unacceptable. This is not about Ukraine; it’s about Europe,” Mr. Orban declared, noting that a military attack had targeted a point from which gas is flowing southward from Russia. “This must stop,” he asserted.

He argued that restarting the Ukrainian pipeline requires nothing more than Brussels picking up the phone and telling Ukraine that this behavior cannot continue. “Central European countries that are paying the price of the sanctions cannot be subjected to this,” he said, adding that discussions on this matter are ongoing between Brussels and Budapest.

According to Mr. Orban, it is the responsibility of any Hungarian government to either lament and complain, or to serve the interests of Hungarians, under any given circumstance. The reason he talks about a restriction of sanctions is for Hungarians to understand that they would achieve much more if these sanctions were not in place, he explained.

The middle class is robust, many purchased state bonds 

Looking to 2025, PM Orban emphasized the need for economic progress, pointing out a stark contrast between optimistic economic figures and the narrative pushed by liberal economists. 

We have a robust middle class, as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of families holding government bonds,” 

– he said. Hungarians have amassed around 90 trillion forints in financial savings, even as doomsayers claim that Hungary is the poorest country in the EU,” Mr. Orban noted. He added that in December, 544,000 people traveled to various domestic accommodations, 212,000 traveled abroad by plane, and between December 24 and 31, 418,000 cars with Hungarian plates crossed the border.

– “Hungary holds significant cards; there is strength in the country,” he affirmed, calling for an end to pessimism and the opposition’s usual complaints.

According to PM Orban, the biggest lesson learned from COVID after five years is to remain calm and avoid panic. He noted that everyone faced difficulties within their families, and even in hindsight, it’s important not to make light of it, as many lives were lost—colleagues, family members. He also emphasized that by coming together, we are capable of far more than we might think.

– “Whenever I think back to that day five years ago, I always say a prayer of gratitude for Minister Miklos Kasler. He was the one who sounded the alarm well before any other European health minister, warning us that trouble was on its way. Thanks to him, we were able to prepare in a way that prevented what happened in countries like Italy or France, whose hospital systems became overwhelmed and unable to accommodate patients,” Mr. Orban concluded.

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