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In the interview, Mr Orbán confirmed that the Hungarian position has not changed: there is no military solution to the war in Ukraine, we need a ceasefire and peace talks. However, the proposal of the other Member States points in the direction of a military solution, and they suggest that the EU give Ukraine EUR 50 billion over a period of four years.
He added that Hungary as a sovereign state objects to this amendment to the budget, but the other twenty-six do not accept this right of an independent country, and therefore they try to convince, to put pressure on, to blackmail, to force Hungary to agree to the proposed funding.
The Prime Minister said they have offered a compromise: Hungary is ready to take part in this solution if they guarantee that the Member States unanimously decide each year about whether to continue the sending of these funds or not.
He said the proposal is not about blackmailing with the prospect of a veto; it is about restoring and maintaining the unity of the European Union.
“So, if we force someone to be a part of something that they don’t like and they have a right to not be a part of that, but they were pressurised, they were forced in any way to be a part of that all the same, it’s only fair and reasonable that we should give them a chance each year to take part in the decision about whether this should continue or not,” he said in summary.
In answer to the question about how this proposal was received, Mr Orbán said, “if I understand correctly, we could read about the reception in the Financial Times. Meaning that the reaction was not exactly positive.”
The Prime Minister said the answer from Brussels is that if Hungary behaves as a sovereign country, it is immediately placed under an enormous financial blockade, and the issue of Ukraine is connected to the rule of law, despite the fact that the two have nothing to do with each other.
In response to the suggestion that a high-ranking official of the European Council denied the allegations published in the Financial Times, Mr Orbán said we have some experience in international politics, “we’re not exactly nursery school pupils.” If the Financial Times publishes a document which details the script of a financial blockade and blackmail against Hungary, there is no doubt that such a document exists, he stated.
He said in the past few years the European Union has become increasingly imperialistic; it is less and less a community of sovereign states.
The European Commission is guided by political intentions because it is pursuing an ideological war against Hungary. The latest complaints relate to migration and gender which have nothing to do with corruption or the quality of the judiciary. It is evident that the rule of law is not the real argument against Hungary, he pointed out.
He said the vote of a country can only be revoked in the European Council if there is a problem with the rule of law; however, Ukraine has nothing to do with the rule of law.
He added that the European institutions do not take the rule of law seriously, it is only a means to blackmail countries which seek to preserve their sovereignty and have an opinion of their own. It is important for the European people to understand that if the Member States do not agree on issues such as the war, migration and gender, they are immediately faced with an imperialistic reaction from Brussels and are subjected to a form of blackmail, he stated.
He said the argument that the other 26 Member States claim that a plan to be approved on an annual basis does not enable Ukraine to plan its expenditures for a period of four years should be taken seriously, but is not acceptable.
He pointed out that there was no way of knowing what was going to happen in Ukraine in the next three to four months, “let alone in four years’ time.” There is likewise no way of knowing, he said in continuation, whether after the presidential elections due to be held in November “the Americans will continue to take part in this game or not;” and there is further no way of knowing why the EU should give Ukraine a sum of EUR 50 billion.
In his view, the chief argument is that there will be elections in Europe in five months’ time. We would totally disregard the opinion of the European people if we made a decision today that would commit Europe for a period of four years, and this commitment relates to an enormous sum of money, he pointed out. He added that this money could also be extremely helpful for the European people as Europe is increasingly suffering from the poor performance of its economy.
In answer to the question of whether he expects former US President Donald Trump to be re-elected in November, Mr Orbán pointed out that he said already in 2016 that Europe needs Mr Trump because the normal attitude in international politics is to want agreements that are based on national interests. Describing Mr Trump as one of the most successful US presidents in foreign policy, he said if in February 2022 the name of the US president had been Donald Trump, there would be no war in Europe anymore. “Today, I can’t see anyone other than him either in Europe or in America who would be a strong enough leader to stop the war. Peace has a name, it’s called Donald Trump,” he said.
He also spoke about the fact that, also regardless of the war, Ukraine is a serious problem for Europe; the tightening of relations or the accession of Ukraine to the EU will or could have disastrous consequences for European economies, in particular, for agriculture. Ukraine’s agricultural production is much cheaper than that of France or Hungary, and this is not a sustainable situation. We are unable to compete with them, and are destroying our agricultural communities. We cannot do that, the Ukrainians must understand that, Mr Orbán told Le Point.
