“Brussels has already burned through €193 billion supporting Ukraine, and now they want to borrow another €90 billion,” the prime minister stated. He made it clear that Hungary, along with the Czech Republic and Slovakia, opted out of this new EU loan arrangement. “We won’t be there. We’re not a part of it. We saved a lot of money by staying out, and we made it clear that we will not take part in any future loan construction either,” he said.
PM Orbán strongly criticized the European Commission’s justification for the funding, which assumes that Ukraine will win the war on the battlefield. “That’s a hypothesis, and on that basis, they’re blowing away taxpayers’ money—hundreds of billions—at a time when Europe has no money,” he said.
“I have not met a single credible expert who says Russia can be defeated to the point of being forced to pay reparations. That is beyond fairy tales,” he added.
He revealed that Ukraine has already submitted a 10-year funding request for €800 billion, excluding military costs. “That figure should take your breath away,” he said. “According to our calculations, €800 billion would be enough to pay every Hungarian pension for 40 years or cover all family support spending for 60 years.”
According to the prime minister, Hungary is under mounting pressure from Brussels to help finance this strategy, and the EU has issued an extensive list of demands, including the removal of the extra profit taxes on banks and multinationals, as well as the restructuring of Hungary’s pension, family, and housing support systems.
“We’ve put this list together, published it, and now every Hungarian can read for themselves what Brussels wants us to give up,” he said. “This is a great help for me. Now I just refer people to the links and let them see the truth with their own eyes.”
To resist these demands, the government has launched a national petition, asking citizens to declare that “we will not pay” and “we will not dismantle” the policies protecting families, pensioners, and Hungarian livelihoods. “We want to stay out of this war. We won’t send soldiers, we won’t send weapons, we won’t send money,” PM Orbán said.
“If a Brussels-backed government came to power in Hungary, they would give in to the pressure. And then Hungarian youth would be sent to Ukraine. This is a real danger, and it must be prevented.”
Touching on domestic issues, PM Orbán said Hungary had passed its first major test of the winter, praising the country’s response to the snowstorm and freezing temperatures.
“The country passed this snow test. Not only can we manage normal conditions, but we can also operate under extreme ones, too,” he said. Gas supplies are secure, with reserves at over 40 percent of annual consumption, and the government has doubled its firewood assistance scheme, removing all budget caps to prevent energy insecurity.
Looking ahead, Prime Minister Orbán described 2026 as both a year of risk and opportunity. “This is why we say that in the April election, voters should pick the safe choice,” he said. “If the government retains its ability to act, we can fend off the dangers and seize the opportunities. If we shift to Brussels’ path, we will only face more risk and damage.”