Opening with his conversation with astronaut Tibor Kapu, Prime Minister Orbán called recent developments in science and culture “big years” for Hungary. He described the moment Kapu saw Hungary from space at sunrise as deeply moving. “There is a Hungarian in space who’s looking down on us—that’s when it hits you,” he said, underscoring the symbolic weight of Hungarian excellence gaining global recognition.
Turning to international security, Prime Minister Orbán described a major shift in NATO’s approach. “There is a new sheriff in town,” he said, referring to President Trump’s new peace-oriented strategy, which has redefined NATO’s priorities. Whereas previous summits focused on arming Ukraine, this year’s meeting confirmed that Ukraine’s NATO membership is off the table. NATO, the prime minister noted, was established for defense, not to enter war. “We need to avoid World War III and the arms race.”
Prime Minister Orbán also reiterated Hungary’s opposition to Ukraine joining the European Union, warning that such a step would mean importing the war into the EU. “If we admit Ukraine, we admit the war,” he said. “We don’t know how big Ukraine is, we don’t know where its borders are.”
Prime Minister Orbán underscored the scale of existing EU support to Ukraine, noting that “we are already sustaining the Ukrainian state and army.” He warned that full EU membership would remove any limits on financial transfers or cross-border movement, including by individuals with military or criminal backgrounds. “We’d become a transit house.”
As an alternative, Prime Minister Orbán proposed establishing a strategic partnership with Ukraine, offering support without EU accession. “Let’s agree not to go to war,” he concluded, affirming Hungary’s consistent pro-peace stance.
Addressing cultural issues, the prime minister rejected the notion that Pride events represent genuine pride. “In Felcsút we call it shame, in Budapest we call it prejudice,” he said. He pointed to the 2022 child protection referendum, in which 3.7 million voters rejected gender ideology, as proof of public consensus. “No Pride will change my view,” he added.
He warned that the opposition and the capital’s leadership were following Brussels without question. “Brussels decided there must be a Pride, and the opposition executed it,” he said. If similar alignment occurred on issues like migration and Ukraine, the consequences would be severe. “Then the country would be finished,” he concluded.