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He said “the basis of our culture is freedom, participation, democracy, […] we must strengthen this.” He also stressed that he was working to have a conservative, national, Christian majority in Europe again because the European Union must return to its roots.
He said at present, Europe has weak leadership, they give poor answers to the problems of the day. They mismanaged the migrant crisis, the crisis resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, the green transition, the sanctions, and “use every crisis to centralise, and to take powers away from the nation states.”
The Prime Minister said pro-sovereignty forces would like to cooperate because the Brussels bureaucracy must be reined in, national powers must be restored. He pointed out that the European Union was a great concept: peace and welfare. But today it is not the same as the entity Hungary itself joined at the time, “there is neither peace, nor welfare.”
In answer to a question, Mr Orbán said in France he only has a single fellow fighter left “on the super Europe versus sovereignty issue,” Marine Le Pen. She already stood up against the injustices inflicted upon Hungary even when “we didn’t even know each other.” He said if Le Pen became president in 2027, he would gladly help her in creating a seven-year EU budget which does not waste money on the war, does not allow bureaucracy to gain in power, and restores those rights to the nations which were taken away from them unlawfully by the Brussels centre.
Ever since Britain left the EU, the situation has changed radically, the Prime Minister stressed. Earlier, the British and the Central Europeans constituted a strong sovereigntist bloc, “we did not allow Brussels to take our powers away.” What is happening in Europe today is what the French and the Germans want, “we are unable to block their will anymore.”
Regarding Ukraine, Mr Orbán said Ukraine is not fit to become a member of NATO or the European Union, this is a geopolitical reality. He added that already before the war, Ukraine had been a bankrupt state, and its admission to the EU would result in economic ruination for us.
In the context of the solution to the war in Ukraine, he highlighted that a ceasefire must be concluded, a peace agreement must be concluded, and a long-term European security deal must be concluded with Russia. He added that, in his view, neither the Europeans, nor the Ukrainians were able to come to an agreement with the Russians, “the Ukrainians because they’re in the process of losing the war, while the Europeans because they are weak.” “I expect a solution from a Russian-US agreement,” he pointed out, stressing that you can only negotiate with the Russian in the voice of strength. Therefore, Europe must be strong, but now it is weak, “this is why we need the Americans.”
He also said he speaks up against the sanctions against Russia because “they’re destroying Hungary.” “I think they’re also destroying Europe, but this should be the Europeans’ concern,” he added. In the past three years, Hungary has lost EUR 20 billion due to the sanctions, he laid down.
The Prime Minister pointed out that earlier, the eastern enlargement of the EU had taken place in such a way that first everyone had been admitted to NATO, guaranteeing the military security of the territories concerned, and only after this had they been admitted to the EU. Today, however, this is impossible because Ukraine’s NATO membership would pose an immediate and direct threat of war to Russia.
In answer to a question related to illegal immigration, Mr Orbán said Hungary is not letting migrants in, but in response to this, Brussels says that “you don’t have the right to do that,” and so Hungary must pay a million dollars a day. He took the view that the current EU migration rules are not adequate, we must rebel against them.
“We cannot allow migrants to upset order in our streets, to enter a country without our permission, to abuse our girls and women, to kill people, to spread anti-Semitism and homophobia.” We must not allow strangers coming from elsewhere to become the majority, he pointed out.
Mr Orbán also rejected the idea that migration would be the solution to demographic problems in Hungary. Hungary wishes to solve these problems with the reinforcement of families and Christian traditions. He highlighted that women in Hungary enjoyed the widest possible range of rights, due in part to a robust family support system.
In answer to a question about Pride, he said no assemblies which may be undesirable for children can be held in Hungary because according to the Constitution, the right of the protection of children precedes all other rights. He added that they had designated a venue where the march could be held.
He also spoke about the fact that in Hungary the press was completely free, and that a considerable part of the media was in foreign hands and was financed from abroad. The criticisms that can be voiced in Hungary without any fear of punishment are much more potent and radical than in most European countries, he argued.
The Prime Minister also defended Hungary’s foreign policy, the essence of which lies in “gathering friends for your country.” He confirmed that in addition to the European Union, the government also wished to cooperate with China, Russia and the United States. At the same time, “I don’t want to allow anyone to interfere with how the Hungarians should live; neither Brussels, nor Washington, nor Moscow.”
In answer to a question, he further highlighted that “when we receive the leader of a country, we give the country concerned the respect that is due.” He added that in this the International Criminal Court – which had become a political organisation – had no say at all. “If the Russian president wants to come to Hungary, we will receive him with respect,” he laid down.
Regarding US-EU relations, Mr Orbán said it is possible to come to an arrangement with the Trump administration, but he initially expects difficulties. The US president is a tough partner, and “it is now being revealed that while the leaders of our European institutions are featherweight, he is super heavyweight,” he said.
It is a positive outcome in his view, however, that Washington has put an end to the financing of the progressive left-wing media and NGOs in Hungary which “was a deep violation of sovereignty.” “At the last election, in 2022, a very large amount of money was channelled to my opponents from abroad in order to strengthen them against me in the election fight,” he said, stressing that “in Hungary, the rule is that whoever is engaged in politics cannot accept money,” and no foreign influence of any kind can be accepted in politics.
