In a video linked to the post, Orban said the government meeting on Wednesday had looked at developments in the Russia-Ukraine war, "because yet another of our Hungarian compatriots has fallen victim to forced conscription by the Ukrainian authorities."

The government has contacted the family of the Tanscarpathian man, and is providing all aid at its disposal, he said.

At the meeting, the cabinet decided to expel Ukrainians participating in forced conscriptions, he added.

Gulyas: Govt bans three Ukrainian military leaders responsible for forced conscription

The government has banned three Ukrainian military leaders responsible for forced conscription, the head of the Prime Minister's Office said at a regular press briefing on Thursday.

Gergely Gulyas said the government had "learnt with sadness that forced conscription continued in Transcarpathia", and called on the Ukrainian authorities to respect fundamental human rights on behalf of the government.

"Last year our compatriot Jozsef Sebestyen died due to forced conscription," he said, and this time a Hungarian man with a heart condition, who had been repeatedly declared unfit for service by Ukrainian authorities, had become a victim, he added.

"This is unacceptable even in a country under attack and at war," Gulyas said, adding that the Hungarian government was "particularly sensitive" to the rights of Hungarians in Transcarpathia being disregarded.

He said the government had decided to ban three military leaders responsible for forced conscription. What happened was also contrary to European norms, so the government has ordered their ban from the Schengen zone, he said.

"And they want to allow this Ukraine to enter the European Union as early as in 2027," Gulyas said, adding that the EU wanted to give the country 1,500 billion euros in aid in several stages. This is why the national petition is of paramount importance, he added.

The minister said Hungary's position had always been clear: Hungary condemned the Russian attack, took in those fleeing from Ukraine, and provided humanitarian aid.

"But it has also been clear that Hungary stands for peace and wants a truce and peace in Ukraine as soon as possible," he declared.

The government has also made it clear that "this is not our war, we will not send soldiers and weapons, and will not pay for Ukraine," Gulyas said.

He said this must be enforced in European politics and the strong mandate necessary underpinning this endeavour would be in the form of the national petition and the election, he said.

Meanwhile, the minister noted that several million households would get bigger paycheques in the coming days, thanks to wage rises and increased tax allowances in force from the start of the year.

Gulyas highlighted the minimum wage increase, pay rises in the public sector, and a government measure that doubled family tax allowances. He also noted that mothers of three are exempt from personal income tax from November, while mothers under 40 with two children enjoyed a PIT exemption from the start of the year.

He said that from January teachers' pay increased by 10 percent on average, while remuneration for Hungarians in the culture and social sectors had climbed 15 percent.

Gulyas recalled that no one under 25 years of age has to pay PIT, neither do mothers below the age of 30, while mothers of two below the age of 40 do not pay personal income tax. Mothers of three or more children of any age are completely PIT-exempt.

The government plans to make mothers of two children under 50 years of age exempt from PIT from next year, then later on those younger than 60, and finally all mothers with two children will also be exempt from the tax.

Gulyas noted that the minimum wage has increased to 322,000 forints and teachers' pay now averages 936,000 forints -- more than double compared with four years ago.
 

Already 75,000 applications have been submitted in a 100 billion forint subsidy scheme for the installation of battery storage at homes with solar panels, the minister said, indicating that the government would raise the allocation for the scheme. The scale of the top-up will be decided on after the application period closes on March 15.

Homeowners with solar panels may apply for up to 2.5 million forints to support the installation of battery storage in the framework of the scheme.

Gulyas said annual pensions supplements will be delivered by post from Friday.

Alongside their regular monthly pensions, pensioners are set to get a full 13th-month supplement and one-quarter of a 14th-month pension supplement, he said.

Answering a question, Gulyas said the armed services stood to benefit from a pay rise in the spring.

Concerning a recent government decree on the local government solidarity tax, Gulyas said the levy was "merely designed to help implement a Constitutional Court ruling".

He argued that "sharing of the public burden is among the operations of any regular state," adding that "no one is disputing the mandatory nature of the tax or its magnitude but the method of its payment." He also suggested that the city of Budapest should "meet its own obligations" and "address the state of roads, for example, rather than seek a dispute."

Concerning Ukraine's possible EU accession, Gulyas said would be impossible while Hungary "has a patriotic government". "So it does not matter all that much if the German chancellor does not see a target date of 2027 as realistic," he said, noting that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would like to see Ukraine's admission before the end of her presidential term.

Meanwhile, Gulyas said that the opposition Tisza Party "does have a real programme, including tax hikes and provisions for Ukraine's long-term financing, agreed on with Brussels," while he also suggested that the party may "publish various sham programmes" to mask their real plans.

Referring to an internal vote within Tisza, Gulyas said some three-fifths of the participants supported Ukraine's EU accession, and he argued the such a move would have a "disastrous effect" on the European economy.

"There is no upper limit to the costs of the war," Gulyas said, adding that "Hungary is bound to assist peace efforts … and since the US administration has the same goal, there is someone to work with."

On another subject, Gulyas said it had not yet been decided whether Prime Minister Viktor Orban should raise with his European peers the issue of "censorship exercised by Brussels" in social media. "But it is unacceptable that the European Commission is aiding with all its might the political forces it favours," he added.

Gulyas said Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has lodged an official protested with his Slovak counterpart concerning an ethnic Hungarian detained at a protest in Bratislava against the Benes Decrees.

The Hungarian government, he said, regarded any restriction of the free speech "unacceptable", adding that the government has asked several law firms to provide legal aid to Slovakian Hungarians who might be affected by Slovakia's recent regulations.

Slovakia's rules concerning the decrees "go against all European constitutions including Slovakia's own," Gulyas said, adding that legal remedy may be necessary in possible land title disputes arising from the decrees.

Meanwhile, Gulyas said: "If somebody encourages Slovakian Hungarians to send their children to Slovak schools, what the Hungarian government can do is to encourage them to send those children to Hungarian schools and help accordingly."

Concerning a suggestion by the opposition Democratic Coalition that the rights of ethnic Hungarians to vote in Hungarian elections should be removed, Gulyas said that DK leader Klara Dobrev "is keeping up the tradition of Hungarian-hating".

Touching upon the antifa muvement, Gulyas said: "In every civilised country it is now clear that antifa members are committing serious crimes and rightly they classify those organisations as terrorist." People brutally assaulting others in the street must be prosecuted and severely punished, he said.

Concerning the sentence of 8 years imprisonment recently imposed on an antifa activist, Gulyas said: "I would opt for something more serious".

In response to another question, Gulyas said the government had received information indicating a risk of antifa attacks targeting Hungarian diplomatic missions abroad, following the conviction of an individual linked to previous antifa assaults.

He said the Hungarian embassy in Berlin is currently under police protection, adding that Germany was "gravely mistaken" in focusing on far-right threats while ignoring the "much more brutal danger posed by the far left".

Meanwhile, Gulyas emphasised that Hungarian law clearly defines who qualifies for state security protection, and authorities are duty-bound to investigate anyone who disrupts the ruling parties' events or makes threats against them.

Asked why details of individuals who disrupted an event hosted Janos Lazar, the construction and transport minister, in Gyongyos, in northern Hungary, were made public, Gulyas said the government had not used their details before they appeared in the press, reportedly first in the daily Magyar Nemzet.

He said it was relevant to know "who was paid to disrupt the event", alleging links to a figure associated with the opposition Tisza Party.

Put to him that some past opposition events had disrupted by clowns or placards, Gulyas said such actions were legitimate expressions of opinion. He said the disruption of Lazar's event constituted a breach of public order through intimidation aimed at preventing a peaceful political gathering.

Gulyas noted that outdoor gatherings fall under the assembly law, and the state has a duty to ensure the security of such events. He added that anyone whose event is disrupted can request assistance from the authorities.

In response to a question, he ruled out any negotiations between the government and the National Roma Self-Government.

Meanwhile, Gulyas dismissed recent polls suggesting Lazar should resign as "politically motivated".

Commenting on the latest pre-election polls, he said much of the polling industry had been replaced by "political propaganda", noting that the polls four years ago had underestimated Fidesz support by 8-20 percent.

Asked about a US report alleging attempts by the European Commission to influence elections in EU member states via social media, Gulyas accused the EC of bias in favour of left-liberal groups. He also said that before 2023, US Democrats had unlawfully funded Hungary's left-liberal opposition.

Asked to comment on calls by the head of a supermarket chain to lift the mandatory markup caps, Gulyas said the measure had successfully reduced inflation by about 1 percent, and accused multinationals of hoping for the election of a new government that would scrap special taxes.

Concerning the National Judicial Council's (OBT) decision not to address the matter of judges being included on the Tisza Party's election list, Gulyas accused the OBT of abandoning decades of practice, with the risk that judges appear partisan.

Addressing reports of resignations at Budapest's Nyiro Gyula National Institute of Psychiatry and Addictology, Gulyas said only three full-time psychiatrists had quit, while some other staff members had left for a variety of reasons, "but the numbers that were made public don't always correspond to reality."

Meanwhile, Gulyas condemned Ukrainian tennis player Oleksandra Oliynykova's refusal to shake hands with Hungary's Anna Bondar, citing Bondar’s participation in a St. Petersburg tournament after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calling the snub "completely against the spirit of sport".

Asked about alleged Hungarian links to Jeffrey Epstein, Gulyas said only a few individuals linked to the Central European University had been in contact with Epstein, and "there’s really nothing in those exchanges."

Szijjártó: Legal Basis Confirmed for Sanctioning Ukrainian Military Leaders

The European Council's legal service has found a Hungarian proposal to be well-founded. The proposal suggests placing three Ukrainian military leaders on a sanctions list for their role in forced conscriptions, which in several cases have resulted in death, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced in Luxembourg on Monday.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Minister welcomed the legal validation during a press conference following a meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs and Energy Council.

Key Points of the Proposal:

* Targeting Responsibility: The proposal aims to sanction three specific military officials responsible for violent mobilization efforts in Ukraine.
* Legal Validation: Szijjártó stated that the European Council's legal service confirmed these individuals bear responsibility for forced conscriptions.
* Impact on Hungarians: The Minister emphasized that these violent practices have already resulted in the death of an ethnic Hungarian.

"The legal service of the European Council has established that the three individuals we want to place on the sanctions list are indeed responsible for forced conscription in Ukraine," Szijjártó noted.

Background and Demands

The Minister called on the EU to place the officials on the sanctions list with immediate effect, citing the well-supported nature of the Hungarian proposal.

In July, Hungary banned these three officials from entering the country and simultaneously initiated EU-level sanctions against them. This move followed the reported death of József Sebestyén, who was allegedly beaten to death by recruiters in Ukraine.

PM Orbán: Brussels Attempting to "Sweep Under the Carpet" Death of Hungarian Conscript

Brussels bureaucrats are trying to "push the case of the Hungarian victim of forced conscription off the table" because it contradicts their narrative regarding Ukraine’s readiness for EU membership, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated on Kossuth Radio’s "Good Morning, Hungary!" program on Friday.

The Prime Minister argued that this is not merely a local concern, but a broader European issue supported by findings from international organizations.

Key Highlights from the interview:

* Systemic Issues: Orbán emphasized that the incident is not an isolated case but part of a systematic practice. He described the current recruitment methods as a "manhunt," where individuals are hunted down and forcibly drafted into the Ukrainian army if they do not go willingly.
* EU Narrative vs. Reality: The Prime Minister claimed that the brutality of these conscriptions is embarrassing for Brussels. While EU officials report progress in Ukraine regarding human rights, judicial reform, and anti-corruption efforts, Orbán argued these claims "have nothing to do with reality" for those living in close proximity to the country.
* Strasbourg Evidence: He noted that a Strasbourg-based organization has compiled a comprehensive assessment of these practices, which aligns with the Hungarian government’s position.

"In reality, a manhunt is taking place. They call it conscription or forced mobilization, but recruitment units are hunting down people they believe can be immediately packed off to the Ukrainian army. If it doesn't work with kind words, they use violence," Orbán said.

Conclusion

The Prime Minister concluded that while Brussels portrays Ukraine as "overripe" for EU membership, the lived experience of neighboring Hungary suggests a significant disconnect between official diplomatic reports and the situation on the ground.


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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