“There are differences between us, but on fundamental issues we agree,” he said about his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. One such area of agreement is the need to reform what he called the Brussels power center, which he said has failed on critical fronts such as economic policy, the green transition, war, and sanctions.
“Brussels has failed in the major questions that affect the everyday lives of Europeans,” he said. For Hungary, he added, energy prices are a key issue.
He described the EU’s green transition policy as a serious error. “It rows against industry instead of cooperating with it. This is harmful. We should stop and reverse course,” he said. On the topic of war, the prime minister reminded the interviewer that Hungary shares a border with Ukraine. “That makes our perspective different from Italy’s,” he said.
Asked why he considers the EU irrelevant, Prime Minister Orbán responded, “Stopping the war should have been the task of European diplomacy,” but Europe was incapable of doing so. “If Donald Trump had been president of the United States instead of Joe Biden, this war would not have happened. But even independently of the United States, Europe should have done more—and still is not doing what it should.”
He criticized the decision to cut all diplomatic channels with Russia, which he called a major mistake. “Without diplomacy, there can be no end to war,” he said. “Brussels has made itself irrelevant by deciding not to talk.” As a result, he said, the United States and Russia are now deciding not only the future of Ukraine, but also Europe’s future security structure.
“This is exactly what happened after the Second World War,” he warned.
The prime minister stated that peace cannot be achieved by the two warring sides alone. “We need a third actor. Europe has stepped out. The only actor left is President Trump, the first American president who has committed himself to peace. That is why we must support him,” he said.
On sanctions, Prime Minister Orbán said the decision lies with major countries like Italy, Germany, and France. “What concerns me is not the sanctions themselves, but how they affect the Hungarian people,” he said. Without a coastline or access to LNG, Hungary cannot function without Russian gas, he explained.
He praised Prime Minister Meloni for defending Italian national interests and said that without proud nation-states, Europe has no future. “Europeans are much stronger than the Russians,” he noted, citing population size, GDP, and defense spending.
“The question is, if we are stronger, what are we afraid of? The answer is poor leadership,” PM Orbán said. “If we are strong but don’t want war—and none of us do—then we should use our strength for negotiations. But we are not doing that.”