PM Orban: The Opposition Has Sided With Ukraine

“The opposition has taken Ukraine’s side not Hungary’s on the issue of energy,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at a campaign forum held by the governing parties in the town of Paszto. According to the prime minister, Ukraine and Brussels are already preparing for a pro-Ukraine government in Hungary after the elections. Speaking about the upcoming parliamentary vote in April, PM Orban said an extremely close race is expected, meaning victory will require intense effort.

Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary (Photo: Prime Minister's Office Communications Department/Zoltan Fischer/MTI)

“The opposition has not taken Hungary’s side but Ukraine’s side on the issue of energy,” PM Orban said Thursday during a stop in Paszto on the governing parties’ nationwide campaign tour.

Photo: Prime Minister's Office Communications Department/Zoltan Fischer/MTI
 

The prime minister emphasized that when necessary, Hungary must be prepared to confront anyone in order to defend its national interests, just as it has done before.

“If necessary, I have taken on conflicts with Brussels and with the Ukrainians as well,” 

he said.

The Tisza Party Would Meet Ukraine’s Demands

According to PM Orban, the Ukrainians have put everything on a single card. “The Ukrainians want a pro-Ukraine government in Hungary. They make no secret of it—they say it openly,” he said, adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has even issued threats.

He threatens the country, he threatens the government, and he threatens the prime minister as well,

PM Orban said. The prime minister stressed that the opposition has sided with Ukraine rather than with Hungary on energy policy. He added that in his view Ukraine, the Tisza Party, and Brussels have “long since coordinated behind our backs” to ensure that a pro-Ukraine government comes to power in Hungary after the elections.

Such a government, Orban said, would fulfill Ukraine’s demands, support Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, “hand over Hungarians’ money to Kyiv,” and sever Hungary from affordable energy supplies.

An Extremely Close Race Expected

Speaking about the April parliamentary elections, Orbán said the contest is expected to be extremely tight, meaning victory will require extremely determined, hard work.

“A major battle is underway. We are not simply trying to defeat a party called Tisza,” 

he said. According to the prime minister, the biggest problem is not the party itself but “the enormous amount of money behind them, which is being sent from Brussels and Kyiv.”

Orban stressed that the governing parties must win, but that success will only come through hard work. 

“I believe we will win, but if we do not work, we will not be able to turn our chances into victory,” he said.

The prime minister urged voters to cast their ballots with the understanding that the country’s future may depend on their vote. Referring to regional Fidesz candidate Zsolt Becso, PM Orban said: “We need this mandate—because without it there will be no national, Christian, and civic-minded government.”

PM Orban added that the final weeks of the campaign will be decisive. 

In his view, the race will ultimately come down to a major mobilization effort in the closing days, especially in the week after Easter.

PM Orban’s Election Goal

The prime minister said that after what he described as the governing parties’ honest work in office, they cannot aim for anything less than repeating the result of the previous election. 

He recalled that the governing alliance won 87 individual constituencies in the last vote.

At the event in Paszto, Orban also spoke about what he described as the natural alliance between residents of Nograd County and the governing Fidesz–KDNP Alliance. He said both the region and the government share the political goal of making Hungary a country built around families.

According to the prime minister, there is broad agreement that the country can prosper only if families receive the respect and support they deserve.

“We are a family-friendly government, which is why I see the alliance between the people of Nógrád—an area with strong Catholic traditions—and Fidesz–KDNP as natural,” Orbán said.

He also recalled the period of Hungary’s democratic transition, noting that the alliance between Fidesz and the people of Nograd developed over many years, as the county had long been a stronghold of supporters of the former political system.

“Achieving the change that moved this region toward a civic, national-minded, and Christian direction—and bringing development to Nograd together with you—required many years of work,” he said.

In closing, PM Orban said he believes both nationally and in the region the governing parties will win the upcoming election. He added that most residents of Nograd share the government’s views on major civilizational issues.

Full House at the Event

Despite threats from Zelensky, most Hungarians continue to stand behind PM Orban, according to political analyst Daniel Deak, who said it was no coincidence that the prime minister’s campaign event was once again filled to capacity.

Cover photo: Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary (Photo: Prime Minister's Office Communications Department/Zoltan Fischer/MTI)