"Unrealistic assumptions may only lead to misguided political decisions," Orban said.

He said the Russians were "not in the state or position" to pose a threat to Europe at present.

"At the same time, Russia is posing a threat to a part of Ukraine, because if Western [countries] don't give Ukraine weapons, they will be forced into a peace involving territorial issues, and Russia has territorial demands," he added.

Orban said that had nothing to do with what would happen in Poland, Hungary, Romania or Austria, as those countries were not under military threat.

Orban: 'I will not take responsibility for a single young person dying for Ukraine'

"I do not want to and will not take responsibility for a single young person dying for Ukraine," Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at the MCC Feszt in Esztergom on Saturday.

Orban said an answer to the question of when there would be peace in the Russia-Ukraine war required a clarification of the causes for the war and the warring parties.

He explained that the power balance had been upset with the decision to end Ukraine's status as a buffer zone between the East and West and shift the country in the direction of the West.

In Hungary's case, he said, Russia had been too weak to take any steps in 1989, after the change of system, and in 1999, when Hungary joined NATO. As the Russians are stronger now, any NATO member or military force that seeks to move closer to Russia can expect a response, he added.

He said it was clear, from the perspective of the balance of powers, that the Russians aimed to create a buffer zone from parts of or all of Ukraine, defying international law.

He said the war was a "proxy war", with Ukraine "fighting in the place of the West", and most European Union member states supporting the effort with money and weapons with the aim of achieving victory.

Hungary, on the other hand, takes the position that the parties must return to the starting point, and the West and Russia must strike an agreement on Ukraine's future that is also acceptable for Ukraine, he said.

As Hungary is alone on this stance and has no chance of affecting a change, it has only one option: to stay out of the war, he added.

Orban said the war would not end until the presidents of the United States and Russia sat down at the table and reached an agreement. He added that they would also have to address other issues, such as the arms race and energy.

He noted the 5 percent of GDP NATO defence spending pledge and said that excluding Russia from the energy trade might be good for the Americans but would ruin the global economy in the long run.

Addressing assistance to Ukraine, Orban said Hungary had welcomed all of the refugees from the country, adding that tens of thousands were in the country at present.

He also said that Hungary was the only country to offer those refugees assistance on par with that available to Hungarians. "There is no free money," he added.

Orban noted that Ukraine had never asked Hungary to weigh in on their response to the Russian attack. "They did not consult us or ask for advice, they did not involve us in their decisions."

As Hungary had no say in the matter, it can only respond to the Christian duty of offering assistance, he added.

"They can't ask us to ruin ourselves, and if we go there and give money, weapons and later soldiers, we too will be ruined," Orban said.

"I do not want to and will not take responsibility for a single young person dying for Ukraine," he added.

Commenting on the threat posed by Russia, Orban said the matter had to be taken seriously, considering history, but pointed to the larger populations of the European Union, together with the UK, and the United States, as well as their bigger defence budgets.

"We have more people, we have more money, our defence industry is more developed, and we have the backing of the Americans. How are the Russians going to overwhelm us when they haven't even been able to take over those four counties in Ukraine for how long?" he added.

Conjecture that the Russians could "come and take us over" is "unrealistic" and must not result in political steps, he said.

"Unrealistic assumptions may only lead to misguided political decisions," he added.

He said the Russians were "not in the state or position" to pose a threat to Europe at present.

"At the same time, Russia is posing a threat to a part of Ukraine, because if Western [countries] don't give Ukraine weapons, they will be forced into a peace involving territorial issues, and Russia has territorial demands," he added.

Orban said that had nothing to do with what would happen in Poland, Hungary, Romania or Austria, as those countries were not under military threat.

The question is not whether the Russians could attack somebody from the west of Ukraine, but how seriously to take NATO members' mutual defence pledge, he added.

He said "nobody in their right mind" would take the risk of attacking a NATO member backed by all other NATO members, including the United States and Turkiye.

"Since NATO was established, nobody has attacked a NATO member and nobody will," he added.

Touching on the Balkans, Orban blamed the problems there for the European Union's failure to take hold of a "historic opportunity" and intergrate the countries in the region after the breakup of Yugoslavia.

He said Hungary needed to forge a historic alliance with the Serbs.

"If Hungary wants to remain strong, it cannot do so without an alliance with the Serbs. And the Serbs also need a cooperation with Hungary," he added.

Orban said it was "unacceptable" for a "viceroy" delegated from the European Union to remove and judge Milorad Dodik, the president elected by the Bosnian Serbs, not because of corruption, but because he had not implemented certain decisions that had come from the EU.

Hungary will not recognise the court ruling against Bosnian Serb president Milorad Dodik, Orban said.

"President Dodik remains the elected leader of the Serbs living in Bosnia, and we will shape our policy accordingly," he added.

Orban said the best of ties had to be established with all of the countries along the Balkans migration route as the line of defence against the next wave of migration needed to be as far south as possible.

He warned that migrants in the tens or even hundreds of millions could leave from Africa for Europe and said Europe could face "a huge problem" in a few years if it didn't send investment capital to stabilise the countries there, rather than channeling it to Ukraine and the US.

He said the only way to keep central Europe a Christian European community was to be in accord with the Orthodox Christians in the Balkans, the Orthodox Christians in Romania and the Roman Catholics in Slovakia and Poland.

Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox Christians must form a political alliance to preserve their Christian roots and heritage, he added.

Without such a mutual migration defence system, Orban said "we will look like Western European countries".

"If we want Hungary to remain Hungarian, we need to set up a joint central European defence system against migration," Orban said.

He said there were two approaches to the issue of migration: "rebellion or submission". "The West has submitted, but we will rebel and protect what we have."

Speaking about challenges facing the Hungarian right wing, Orban said the digital space was not a complementary element to the conventional world of politics, rather all information and all debate had moved to the digital platform. He added that that platform had its own peculiar language, logic and pace.

If the right cannot learn to use the digital platform and leaves it to the "left-wing, globalist, liberal forces", who have "run wild" there, unhindered, for years, he warned that the right wing's persuasive strength would decline.

"If we have no strength of persuasion, we will have no supporters and no victory," he said.

Orban said the right wing had to undertake a "digital conquest" that would allow them to take their debates and ideas to the digital space. This might also take the party closer to young people, he added.

Commenting on polls of party support, Orban said: "We have a clear picture of where we are now, and an idea of what is a realistic goal for the coming election."

"We will work hard and win big," he said.

Orban acknowledged that many other factors were in play when it came to the election, not just "logic or policy offers", and conceded that the government's policy measures benefiting young people would not be the key element to making the governing parties more attractive.

He said "calm, understanding, dialogue and connections" could see Hungarian youth "rebel against the enemies of the country rather than the patriotic government protecting it".

He said the stagnating Hungarian economy and the governing parties' digital presence were co-existing risks.

The economy "is the fate and future of 10 million Hungarians and also has an effect on the election", he said. Robust growth is conditional on achieving peace, he said, because the war is driving up energy prices and "EU countries are funneling a lot of money into the war". High growth cannot be achieved under such circumstances, he added. "Until then, we should be happy if we can preserve what we have."

He said, the 3 percent subsidised home loan had originally been conceived with the expectation that 2025 would be a "year of peace" bringing bigger growth. Despite the difficulties, from September 1, the home loan will be available, independent of family status, he added.

Orban said the government had not given up on its "tax revolution", highlighting PIT exemptions for mothers with children and higher tax allowances for families raising children.

In spite of the turmoil in the world, especially in Europe, Orban said the government had still preserved what it had achieved, and made a few additional advances, too.

Responding to the issue of opposition criticism of the operation of public services and the enrichment of circles close to the government, Orban said Hungary's state assets had doubled since 2010, while public services were in a constant state of development.

He said spending on health-care would grow by 280 billion forints next year, while public transport was being upgraded even as fares got cheaper.

Orban said the Fidesz government had completed 70-75 percent of its work since 2010, "putting a bankrupt country back on its feet again", and in 4-6 years, it could make Hungary a place on par with countries in Western Europe.

"Even now, my leadership is the best chance for us to win the election."

Orban: Central Europe needs mutual migration defence system

"If we want Hungary to remain Hungarian, we need to set up a joint central European defence system against migration" , Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at the MCC Feszt in Esztergom on Saturday.

Orban said the best of ties had to be established with all of the countries along the Balkans migration route as the line of defence against the next wave of migration needed to be as far south as possible.

He warned that migrants in the tens or even hundreds of millions could leave from Africa for Europe.

He said the only way to keep central Europe a Christian European community was to be in accord with the Orthodox Christians in the Balkans, the Orthodox Christians in Romania and the Roman Catholics in Slovakia and Poland.

Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox Christians must form a political alliance to preserve their Christian roots and heritage, he added.

Without such a mutual migration defence system, Orban said "we will look like Western European countries".

Orban: Hungary will not accept ruling against Milorad Dodik

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Hungary would not recognise a ruling against Bosnian Serb president Milorad Dodik at a talk at the MCC Feszt in Esztergom on Saturday.

Orban said it was "unacceptable" for a "viceroy" delegated from the European Union to remove and judge the president elected by the Bosnian Serbs. He added that the step was not taken because of corruption, but because he had not implemented certain decisions that had come from the EU.

"President Dodik remains the elected leader of the Serbs living in Bosnia, and we will shape our policy accordingly," he said.

Orban said the European Union had passed up the "historical opportunity" to integrate the new states formed after the breakup of Yugoslavia.

He said Hungary needed to forge a historic alliance with the Serbs.

"If Hungary wants to remain strong, it cannot do so without an alliance with the Serbs. And the Serbs also need a cooperation with Hungary," he added.

Orban: 'We will work hard and win big'

"We will work hard and win big," Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Saturday, speaking about next year's general election, at the MCC Feszt in Esztergom.

"We have a clear picture of where we are now, and an idea of what is a realistic goal for the coming election," Orban said, commenting on polls of party support.

At the start of the talk, Orban said the right wing had to undertake a "digital conquest" that would allow them to take their debates and ideas to the digital space.

Orban said the digital space was not a complementary element to the conventional world of politics, rather all information and all debate had moved to the digital platform. He added that that platform had its own peculiar language, logic and pace.

If the right cannot learn to use the digital platform and leaves it to the "left-wing, globalist, liberal forces", who have "run wild" there, unhindered, for years, he warned that the right wing's persuasive strength would decline.

"If we have no strength of persuasion, we will have no supporters and no victory," he said.

 

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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