PM Orban on Forced Conscription: A Hungarian Citizen Was Beaten to Death

In his regular Friday morning interview with Hungary's public Kossuth Radio, PM Viktor Orban discussed the latest government decisions and addressed the recent killing of a Hungarian national from Transcarpathia by Ukrainian recruiters. He stated that the root of the matter lies in the war. He called Hungary's Voks 2025 referendum a justified step, emphasizing that "a country where people are beaten to death for resisting forced conscription cannot be a member of the EU."

Cover photo: Prime Minister Viktor Orban gives an interview to Kossuth Radio's "Good Morning, Hungary!" program. (Photo: MTI/Prime Minister’s Press Office/Benko Vivien Cher)

– "We are talking about a Hungarian-Ukrainian dual citizen, which entitles us to avoid cautious wording. A Hungarian citizen was beaten to death. This must be investigated," Viktor Orban said during his interview with Kossuth Radio's "Good Morning, Hungary!" program. He said the root cause of the Transcarpathian man's death at the hands of Ukrainian conscription officers lies in the war.

Many in Hungary may think that the front line is far away, but the truth is that there's a war in a neighboring country. The threat is right here,

 – he added.

We Need Peace 

Prime Minister Orban emphasized that we must stay mentally alert, adding that

Voks 2025 was a justified step, because a country where people are beaten to death over forced conscription cannot be a member of the EU.

"If we admit them, we also admit the war and all its consequences," he declared.

According to Mr. Orban, Ukraine's explanation is not satisfactory. "This is a war of attrition. It's a blood pump. In wars like this, huge numbers of people die — just like in World War I. That is what a prolonged conflict is. It lasts long and costs many lives," he said, adding that

a war of this kind has no solution on the battlefield.

This war cannot be won on the front lines. What we need is a ceasefire and peace negotiations, Mr. Orban said.

He stressed that at every EU summit of prime ministers, they must listen to how Ukraine has met all the requirements for EU membership: corruption has been eliminated, and the rule of law conditions have been fulfilled.

"They usually say that Ukraine has met all the requirements — now it's the EU's turn." According to PM Orban, Brussels can perhaps mislead the people, but here, next to the Ukrainian border, claiming that Ukraine is ready is sheer nonsense. There is forced conscription, people are dying, there are no visible outlines of a modern economy, and there is no intent to end the war. PM Orban underlined that

if we admit Ukraine, we also admit the war.

And this war must be ended, not given additional support, he oipined. 

This is Not Our War

There are pro-war parties in Hungary that support European leaders — namely the DK and the Tisza parties, Mr. Orban said. "We can rightly call them pro-war parties. They are the Hungarian members of Brussels' pro-war coalition," he said. We also have some anti-war, pro-peace parties — and Fidesz belongs to that camp.

It comes as no surprise that this issue has also surfaced in Hungarian domestic politics. Hungary has two options: it either lines up behind Brussels to defeat the Russians, saying "this is our war, too". Or it takes the other stance, saying:

this is not our war, and peace must be made as soon as possible.

The plan is for European member states to take out a joint debt, borrow money, and give it to Ukraine, Mr. Orban said. He highlighted that Europe has lost its competitiveness, and if the EU wants to borrow money, it should spend it on the economy. He said he was firmly opposed to sending Hungarian taxpayers’ money to Ukraine.

Hungarian Success Story

Speaking about Audi, he said: "This factory has become part of Hungary's fabric of life. It's our factory." Eleven to twelve thousand people work at the plant in Gyor, and another fifty thousand lives depend on it indirectly. Moreover, Audi is the most successful member of the Volkswagen group. He added:

The Audi plant in Gyor is a fantastic Hungarian success story.

He noted that Audi trains its own workers through a dual education system in the city. It company also become integrated with the university sphere. He said there are both car and engine factories operating in Gyor. The new models cannot be produced fast enough to meet demand. On the other hand, engine production depends on orders — and there, demand has fallen.

When dealing with German investment, one must also consider Germany itself, PM Orban pointed out. He said Hungary aspires to be like Germany was fifteen years ago — not like it is today. He also noted that

the alliance between Audi and Hungary has been strengthened.

He said he sees a future in Audi, but because of failed Brussels policies, car manufacturers are struggling to compete. As he put it:

The Brussels bureaucrats are not just bad drivers—they're bad navigators too. They drove us straight into a wall.

 

Support for Homeownership

Discussing the government's Home Start Program initiative, PM Orban said until now, the goal has been to help young families. But to start a family, one must know where they will live. So the prevailing view became:

Let's launch a program for those who don't yet live in a family but want to buy their first home.

 – This will also help Hungary’s demographic situation, he noted.

 

Breakthrough in the Economy

He recalled promising a breakthrough to voters at the beginning of the year and announced:

we achieved a breakthrough for small businesses with the Sandor Demjan Program

In terms of family support, childcare and maternity benefits have become tax-free, and child tax benefits have been increased by 50 percent — so a breakthrough is expected here as well, Mr. Orban said.

The government has also promised a breakthrough in homeownership, he said, stressing that over half of those aged under 40 do not live in homes they own. According to PM Orban, the best form of assistance is the one they've devised. He said there's a requirement for a 10-percent downpayment, adding that they're working to provide additional support for public employees.

The opportunity is here the youth, they should seize it,

– he added.

World-Class Disaster Response

Touching on the recent storm, PM Orban emphasized that

political considerations cannot override professional experience.

"People may say whatever they want, but we must take responsibility for human lives, instead of writing Facebook posts, like Peter Magyar did."

There was a moment when 400,000 people remained without power, PM Orban highlighted, adding that "around 2,500 to 3,000 people were working to eliminate the actual damage — regardless of who was posting what online." According Mr. Orban, when important decisions need to be made quickly, the most important qualities from a governmental perspective are decisiveness and actionability. He underlined that Hungary

has world-class individuals who are capable of world-class disaster response.

Shortly after 7:30 a.m., PM Viktor Orban appeared as a guest on Kossuth Radio’s "Good Morning, Hungary!" program. He addressed the death of a Hungarian nastional from Transcarpathia at the hands of Ukrainian conscription officers, as well as the latest government decisions and economic issues.

Our newspaper provided live text coverage of the interview.

Cover photo: Prime Minister Viktor Orban gives an interview to Kossuth Radio's "Good Morning, Hungary!" program. (Photo: MTI/Prime Minister’s Press Office/Benko Vivien Cher)