According to the prime minister, Hungary faced coordinated attacks from several directions, including Croatia, Germany, and the European Commission, while domestic opposition parties also urged alignment with Brussels on sanctions and energy policy. Despite this, he emphasized that Hungary’s position remains consistent: The country will not accept Ukraine’s EU accession and rejects the idea of being drawn into war.
PM Orbán explained that European leaders increasingly present the conflict as “our war” and describe Ukraine as the first line of defense. He rejected this view, stating: “It may be your defense line, but it is not ours. The Ukrainians are not fighting for us, and we never asked them to.” He warned that the EU’s current approach is built on the hope of exhausting Russia in a long war of attrition, a strategy that he believes will cost countless lives and drain European economies without guaranteeing victory.
Instead, the prime minister reiterated Hungary’s alternative: launching negotiations with Russia to establish a new European security framework that restores balance and peace on the continent. “The truth is, we live in the shadow of the threat of world war. This benefits no one. We must put an end to it with an agreement that brings back stability to Europe,” he said.
The prime minister also pushed back against accusations from Croatia, which claimed Hungary is a beneficiary of Russian energy imports. PM Orbán clarified that Hungary relies on Russian oil and gas due to geography and infrastructure, as alternative routes via Croatia cannot replace the necessary volumes. He also underlined that Western countries continue to purchase Russian energy indirectly, paying far higher sums than Hungary through relabeled imports.
On the financial costs of the conflict, PM Orbán noted that Hungary has suffered losses from sanctions, inflation, and high energy prices, while the EU continues to send tens of billions of euros to Ukraine. He suggested that for some in Brussels, the war is also a tool for centralizing power and debt, accelerating moves towards a federal Europe. Others, including the arms industry and international financiers, view it as a source of profit, while Baltic states see it as a means of weakening Russia.
The prime minister concluded that Hungary’s stance, though in the minority in Brussels, represents the interests of ordinary Europeans who want peace. “We do not believe in a frontline victory. Hundreds of thousands will die, Europe will burn through vast amounts of money, and competitiveness will sink further. The path forward is negotiation, not escalation.”