PM Orban: We Were the West's Black Sheep, But Today It's Clear That We Are the Future

In an interview with Switzerland's Neue Zurcher Zeitung, Europes longest-serving prime minister, Viktor Orban, discussed Hungary's geopolitical position, Donald Trump's return, and the future of relations with the West. According to PM Orban, the Hungarian model, often labeled as unconventional, actually reflects the politics of the future.

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban (Photo: AFP / Tomas Benedikovic)

Prime Minister Orban believes that Trump's return could fundamentally reshape global politics, as he is the only one capable of ending the Russia–Ukraine war. Hungary has been under significant pressure from Brussels and Washington in recent years, but Mr. Orban suggests that Trump's return could end this era, according to the Neue Zurcher Zeitung.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Photo: AFP/Attila Kisbenedek)

The world has changed so much in ten days as it usually does over the course of years. This is the Trump tornado. But for Hungary, it's simple: Brussels and Washington were putting pressure on us. If a country of ten million people has two boots on its chest, it can hardly survive.

Mr. Orban highlighted that the policies of U.S. Democrats were hostile toward Hungary, but under the Trump administration, relations could improve, and he hopes that American investments will grow once again.

Europe's weakness and economic reshuffling in the world

The Hungarian prime minister emphasized the weakness of the European Union, stating that the continent continues to lose competitiveness, lacks a strategy, and is without strong leaders. He believes that economic dynamics are shifting eastward: China, India, and the United States are the key players of the future, while Europe stagnates. For Hungary, this means that it cannot solely focus on European markets but must also open itself up to the East.

U.S.–Europe relations and security challenges

According to Mr. Orban, Europe cannot blindly rely on U.S. security guarantees but must actively negotiate to ensure that Washington is still willing to take on a defense role for the continent. He argued that the EU is incapable of conducting an effective foreign policy, as it failed to prevent both the Russia–Ukraine war and to advance the integration of the Balkans.

As Europeans, we must be humble. The EU talks about being a global player. But it cannot even control developments in its own neighborhood. We could not prevent the war between Russia and Ukraine, nor could we integrate the Western Balkans. No global player behaves like this. A common foreign policy would only be realistic if Germany and France had strong political leadership and the others followed suit. But this isn't the case right now.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) of Hungary and U.S. President Donald Trump (Photo: AFP/Ministry of the Prime Minister's Office)

Russia, and the issue of sanctions

Mr. Orban criticized the sanctions against Russia, stating that they have harmed Hungary more than they have harmed Russia. The Hungarian economy suffered a loss of €19.5 billion due to energy prices and trade restrictions. In negotiations with the EU, Hungary always aimed to ensure the continuous flow of Russian oil and gas, and Hungary was able to secure EU concessions accordingly.

Oil and gas from Russia are essential to Hungary's economic survival. Hungary has received assurances that Brussels will work to restart gas transit through Ukraine, it will continue to allow oil transportation through the Druzhba pipeline, and it will prevent destabilizing actions from Kyiv.

Hungary's geopolitical position

It is in Hungary’s interest to maintain good relations with both the West and with China and Russia, Mr. Orban said. Drawing from Cold War experiences, he believes that great powers will always make agreements among themselves, and smaller states must adapt to this.

I grew up during the Cold War. My experience was that the two big players always reach an agreement. The problem is with the third and fourth. The Americans will come to terms with the Chinese. Therefore, it won’t be a problem for Hungary to maintain good relations with both Beijing and Washington. With Russia, however, it is more difficult. We would like to keep all business relations open, but the EU opposes this. The American position remains unclear for now. We have to wait and see.

Mr. Orban spoke about how Hungary has maintained its ties with Russia for long-term energy security while continuously diversifying its energy sources, looking towards Romania, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. He believes that the EU’s sanctions policy has failed to achieve its goal and that the war should have been dealt with diplomatically much earlier.

We never saw sanctions as the right tool to end the war. But Joe Biden said: ‘Putin must fail.’ The West wants to use Russia’s aggression against Ukraine to weaken and push back the country. Russia was supposed to be brought to its knees so that it would abandon its military objectives in Ukraine. That simply hasn’t worked.

He emphasized that Western countries mishandled the war because instead of pushing for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations, they led Ukraine to believe that it could win. Mr. Orban took the view that only Donald Trump can stop the war, as he is a strong leader capable of forcing both sides into peace talks.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Photo: AFP)

Viktor Orban criticized the European Union, which he believes is continuously losing its competitiveness and failing to respond effectively to global political challenges. In his view, the EU’s weakness and lack of leadership are worsening Europe’s position in the global power structure.

The Patriots for Europe and several like-minded parties are already in power in Italy, Slovakia, and possibly soon in Austria as well. For me, the message is clear: we are becoming stronger, and soon we will have the majority. After the Ukraine war, a great right-wing alliance is also possible. The only thing standing in the way is the differing approach to Russia. Europe will look different in a few years than it does today.

Vikotor Orban stressed that Hungary will continue to prioritize its national interests in its policies, striving to maintain pragmatic relations with all major powers, including Russia and China.

In the interview, the Hungarian prime minister also spoke about his political future

As long as I am mentally capable, I would like to remain in parliament. I imagine it will be good to sit in the back rows as an elderly, respected person, with the younger generation coming to me for advice. To see the consequences of what I have done throughout my political career. Because even if I am criticized for it, I did something at a historic moment.

Cover photo: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Photo: AFP/Tomas Benedikovic)