Speaking during a campaign stop in Balatonfüred, PM Orbán warned that Europe is living through a period of significant geopolitical risk and argued that Hungary must remain firmly committed to staying out of the war in Ukraine while protecting its national interests.
According to Prime Minister Orbán, the central question of the upcoming election is whether Hungary will maintain a government capable of keeping the country out of armed conflict. “The winds of war surround Hungary,” he said, adding that the stakes are clear: whether the country will have “a government that can keep Hungary out of a war.”
PM Orbán emphasized that the Hungarian government has consistently rejected calls to participate in the conflict through military or financial means. As he put it, Hungary has a government “that does not give people, does not give weapons and does not give money to a war that has nothing to do with us,” describing the conflict as a “fraternal war between two Slavic nations.”
The prime minister also warned that European financial commitments to Ukraine could have serious consequences for the EU’s future budget. Referring to long-term budget plans, PM Orbán said that as much as 20-25 percent of EU contributions could go to Ukraine, with an additional portion servicing earlier loans. “This is more than 30 percent,” he noted, warning that such spending would leave little room to support European economies.
He argued that betting on Ukraine’s military victory and eventual repayment of funds is a highly uncertain strategy. “The probability of this happening is extremely low,” PM Orbán said, stressing that Hungary must avoid “such vagabond, risky gambling” and instead pursue a policy that keeps the country out of the conflict.
Energy security was another central theme of the speech. Prime Minister Orbán criticized calls to completely abandon Russian energy supplies, saying that in the current global environment, it would be irrational to give up any energy source. “In such circumstances, giving up any source is madness, nonsense, stupidity,” he said.
The prime minister also highlighted Hungary’s efforts to secure alternative energy routes, noting that pipelines through Turkey and the Balkans now allow Russian gas to reach Hungary without passing through Ukraine. These measures, he said, protect Hungarian households and ensure stable utility prices.
On the broader question of EU enlargement, PM Orbán made it clear that Hungary does not support Ukraine’s accession. “We will never say yes to the effort to admit Ukraine to the European Union,” he stated, warning that a country at war joining the EU would risk pulling the entire bloc into the conflict and could severely damage key sectors of the Hungarian economy, particularly agriculture.
Instead, the prime minister suggested a different approach to cooperation. Hungary supports a structured partnership with Ukraine, but not full membership. “No membership, no rights — just a contract,” PM Orbán said, proposing agreements that regulate cooperation while protecting Hungary’s interests.
As the election campaign intensifies, Prime Minister Orbán argued that international crises— from the war in Ukraine to instability in the Middle East — are no longer distant foreign policy issues but matters that directly affect Hungarian households and economic stability.
The key challenge, he concluded, is whether Hungary can remain “an island of security and calm in a world that is neither calm nor secure.”