Everyone can express their opinion on Ukraine’s fast-tracked EU membership through the public opinion vote Voks 2025, Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky emphasized on Thursday in the town of Kiskunhalas, south-western Hungary. Speaking at a press conference before a forum organized as part of Fidesz’s national tour, the minister said,
participation in the vote gives the government strong leverage for representing Hungary’s interests in Brussels and elsewhere.
The minister said Voks 2025 raises a highly significant issue: whether Ukraine—a country at war and Hungary’s neighbor—should join the European Union, and if so, whether that should happen through the accelerated process the European elite is pushing for. This is a question that will impact the lives of all Hungarians in the short term, he stressed. Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky took the view that there are massive interests attached to Ukraine's accession on the part of both the Brussels and Ukrainian elites.
He emphasized that clearing war debris, rebuilding the country, keeping the Ukrainian economy and state functioning, and maintaining its military are all avenues through which EU funds would flow into Ukraine. In return, low-quality, cheaply produced goods from Ukraine would flood EU markets, threatening the jobs and livelihoods of Hungarians, he added. He highlighted that the consultative vote and the government’s stance are in direct conflict with powerful interests, which is why Ukraine has launched a smear campaign against Hungary.
According to the minister, it is clear that this is a long-prepared, extremely well-time, and politically motivated campaign carried out on political orders in the broad public of the press. The campaign has ties reaching into Hungarian politics, he said, recalling that just one day before the launch of the Ukrainian smear campaign, the Tisza Party released an audio recording intended to expose and attack Hungary’s military development and the Hungarian Defense Forces. Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky highlighted the central role played by a former military officer, a chief of staff, who decided that the best way to vent his personal grievances and desire for revenge was to become a political actor and an active participant in all these processes.
Hungarian soldiers do not like turncoats, said the minister, recalling that the former deputy state secretary would have had ample opportunity to prove himself as chief of staff.
Now, however, he opposes military development and makes accusations against the defense procurement program or the legislation on the status of soldiers, in the preparation of which he himself was actively involved. He is also constantly attacking the rejuvenation of the Hungarian Defense Forces, one of the instruments for changing the organizational of the army, which he himself was a proponent of. He added that
when someone incites the armed forces and essentially creates an atmosphere critical of the directions and implementation of force development, that in itself poses a national security risk. However, the most important aspect that played a role in his acquittal was his pro-Ukrainian behavior," the minister emphasized.
He recalled that an investigation revealed the former chief of staff violated his mandate when he spoke at major international forums by omitting key points of Hungary’s official position and openly expressing pro-Ukraine views. Later, in reports, he falsely claimed that his statements were in line his mandate.
According to Szalay-Bobrovniczky, these are extremely serious matters that warrant further investigation. Taken together, they show that the Tisza Party’s prominent figure—possibly seeking refuge in politics to avoid accountability—was already gambling with the security of the Hungarian people due to his personal aspirations and ambitions. Unfortunately, the defense minister concluded, he continues this behavior today.
Véleménynyilvánító szavazás Ukrajna EU-tagságáról
