In a speech at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, Zelensky "once again placed the Hungarian government, and me personally, in his sights," Orban said in his English-language post.

"What was surprising, however, was that in his speech he also criticised every other European leader. He says the support sent to Ukraine is insufficient, the weapons are insufficient, and Europe's determination is insufficient."

"We did not have to wait long for the response from Brussels," he said: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented a road map for Ukraine's development on Thursday evening, he noted. 

"In it, the Brusselians accepted every Ukrainian demand. 800 billion dollars for Ukraine, accelerated EU accession by 2027, and further support all the way until 2040."

"This is where things stand. President Zelenskyy has things all backwards, yet the Brusselians are eager to pay up."

"We will have a few words to say about this as well. A national petition is coming, through which we can send a clear message to Brussels: we will not pay!"

Orban to Ukrainian president: Hungary cannot support war efforts

Hungary cannot support Ukraine's war efforts, but will continue to provide electricity, fuel, and humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees, Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote in a public Facebook response to the Ukrainian president on Thursday.

"Dear Volodymyr, it seems we will never understand each other. I am a free man serving the Hungarian people. You are a man in a difficult position, unable or unwilling to end a war now in its fourth year -- despite the US president offering every possible assistance," Orban said.

"Flattery will not change our position. The Ukrainian people, despite your selective insults, can still count on Hungary for electricity, fuel, and support for refugees. The rest will be settled by life, and everyone will receive what they deserve. Viktor."

Orban: EU accepts Ukraine's request for USD 800 bn in funding

The European Union's leadership has agreed to Ukraine's request for 800 billion dollars in funding, which will essentially push the bloc into debt, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said after a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Friday.

"We received a document I am not authorised to disclose," Orban said, explaining that it outlined the EU's acceptance of Ukraine's 800 billion dollar request and included plans to raise the funds, which he described as "essentially a debt".

Ukraine's request, he added, includes 800 billion dollars in funding over the next decade, plus an additional 700 billion dollars for military spending.

"It was certainly a nuclear punch to the gut that we thought the EU might try to back out or soften or reduce something, but it didn't," Orban said. "They accepted the entire demand as it came from Ukraine."

He said that apart from Hungary, the stakes of the country's upcoming parliamentary elections were highest for Ukraine, arguing that the document also sets out a timetable for Ukraine's EU accession in 2027. 

"So it's not just about 800 billion, but also the date of [Ukraine's] accession. Hungary opposes this," the prime minister said.

"I don't think there will be a Hungarian parliament in the next hundred years that votes in favour of Ukraine joining the EU," Orban declared, adding that Ukraine believed the only way to overcome Hungary's opposition was for there to be a "Ukraine-friendly government" in Budapest. "They are working on that."

"We don't want them to enter the EU; we oppose their membership," Orban said. "The [opposition] Tisza Party and the Democratic Coalition want to let them in, so we must accept that the Ukrainians will be active players in the Hungarian campaign, because they have a fundamental interest in a change of government in Hungary. This doesn't make me happy; it's not nice - even though it's understandable -- but we'll deal with this, too."

He said the European Commission was planning to channel large sums to Ukraine from the EU's new long-term budget, meaning Kyiv's financial support would be provided, not through separate borrowing, but directly from the EU's own funds.

"This is what we want to block. We want a patriotic government in Hungary that will not support Ukraine's accession, and will not back any budget that seeks to send money to Ukraine," he said.

Regarding the newly formed Board of Peace, established at the Davos World Economic Forum, Orban said the organisation was created because existing institutions had failed to address global conflicts. "The confusion here stems from how to relate to a new body that has been established to promote peace," he said.

The prime minister said the Board of Peace would have a better chance of delivering both success and peace than the old structures, which he said had failed. "There are only two Europeans -- Bulgaria and ourselves -- who say this is a worthwhile goal," he said.

Orban said that while no one could guarantee that the organisation would be successful, the United States had launched the initiative "with considerable momentum, and we feel something may come of it. Those who aren't part of it will indeed be left out."

The prime minister said that if the Board of Peace were dealing solely with Gaza, almost every EU member state would have to be part of it. "But the document drawn up by the US - with our approval as well - went further: the first task is to stabilise Gaza, the second to make peace in Ukraine, and the other issues will follow. We think this is a good approach," he added.

In response to a question, Orban said that Budapest would eventually host a peace summit, though the timing and participants had not been finalised. "It's still on the agenda," he said.

Concerning EU-US relations, Orban said Europe lacked the military and economic strength to ensure its own security and prosperity without US cooperation.

"Common sense pushes us and the Americans towards cooperation," he added.

Turning to the debate over Greenland, Orban said a quick resolution was reached, with all parties agreeing to avoid tariffs and military intervention, focusing instead on de-escalation.

Meanwhile, the prime minister criticised Tisza for abstaining from the European Parliament's no-confidence vote on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. "I'm old-school on this. So if there's an issue, you have to take a stand," he said.

"If you try to dodge it, you'll come off worse". Orban said he believed that when faced with a motion of no confidence, politicians should either stand by someone or say they must go because they have made mistakes serious enough to forfeit trust.

"Dodging the issue may seem clever, but I've learned in politics that it doesn't lead to anything good," he added.

Meanwhile, Szijjarto: Ukraine started to harshly interfere in Hungarian elections

Ukraine has started to harshly interfere in the Hungarian elections because they want a government which would say yes to Brussels concerning the war but the Hungarian government will continue to protect the country and its people and will not let Hungary getting dragged into war, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Friday in reaction to his Ukrainian counterparts' entry on X.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had reacted to remarks by Prime Minister Viktor Orban made on the previous day according to which "there will not be a parliament in Hungary for the next 100 years that would vote in favour of Ukraine joining the European Union".

Sybiha said "this plan is doomed to fail, Mr. Prime Minister. Your master in Moscow won’t last 100 years even if you were ready to donate him all organs. And on the day Ukraine joins the EU, we will frame this headline in @ua_parliament to remember your lies for the next 100 years".

Szijjarto said in response that the Ukrainians had clearly begun to interfere in the Hungarian elections. 

"The Ukrainians have clearly shifted gears and begun to interfere very harshly and directly in the Hungarian election campaign. Yesterday, President Zelenskiy (...) had nothing more important to do in Davos than to criticise the Hungarian prime minister in a vulgar, personal style, and today his foreign minister continued in the same vein," he said.

"Obviously, they would like to see a government formed after April 12 that says yes to Brussels on the war and allows Brussels to push Hungary into the war, and allows the Ukrainians to drag Hungary into the war," Szijjarto said.

"The Ukrainians know full well that as long as there is a sovereign, national government in Hungary, as long as Viktor Orban is prime minister, we will protect Hungary and the Hungarian people from war, we will not allow the Ukrainians to drag us into war, we will not allow Brussels to push us into war, and we will not allow Hungarian people's money to be sent to Ukraine," he continued.

"It is obvious that Zelenskiy and his foreign minister are also keen to get their hands on Hungarian people's money, which we are sending to Ukraine for a corrupt state war machine," he added.

"As long as they see us, nothing will come of it. We strongly urge the Ukrainians to stop interfering in the Hungarian election campaign. We know full well that they want to see Tisza in government, but it is not they, not the Ukrainians, but the Hungarian people who will decide this, and the Hungarian people have the opportunity to continue to choose security, to continue to elect a government that makes decisions on a sovereign basis, and to elect a government that will protect Hungary from war and say no to Brussels and no to Kyiv," he concluded.

Szijjarto: Zelensky is campaigning, but Hungary is on the right path

In the April parliamentary elections, Hungarians will decide whether they want peace or war, and whether to allow President Zelensky to take their money to sustain "the corrupt Ukrainian regime", Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a Friday morning Facebook video.

Szijjarto said that in a situation in which a new global order emerging it was clear Hungary "has a seat at the table where these new rules are being shaped".

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, he added, was the only European leader currently able to engage directly with Washington, Moscow, and Beijing.

He highlighted Orban's recent attendance at Davos, where he signed up to the Board of Peace. "Hungary stands for peace," Szijjarto declared. "We won't allow Hungary to be dragged into war, and we support peace efforts to end the four-year conflict in our neighbourhood -- whether President Zelensky likes it or not."

Szijjarto accused Zelensky of "yet again interfering" in Hungary's election campaign, "just as he did four years ago".

"He and his Brussels allies know that a pro-Ukrainian government in Hungary can only take power if we are removed from the equation," he said, adding that as long as the current government remained in office, Hungary would not be drawn into war, "and Zelensky cannot take Hungarians' money".

"The stakes of this election are clear: on April 12, Hungarians will choose between peace and war, and whether to let Zelensky fund the corrupt Ukrainian regime with their taxes," he concluded.


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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