Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told lawmakers of the ruling parties that Europe’s military capabilities have weakened as the war had depleted the reserves of Europe’s armies. In the span of less than a year, Europe had “lost its independence, its economic and military strength”, PM Orbán said. In this situation Hungary must promote its own interests to survive the war “unharmed and stronger”, he said. To that end, the country needs to protect its independence and the “pro-peace position against the Biden administration and Brussels," he added.
According to Magyar Nemzet, the prime minister said the country must also retain its economic strength; it should “declare war on inflation”, and protect jobs, families, as well as seniors and wage earners, adding that Hungary’s military should also be reinforced since “peace requires strength”. Meanwhile, PM Orbán accused Brussels of saddling Hungary with the “disease” of inflation on the back of higher energy prices owing to its sanctions against Russia. He insisted that it was Russia and multinational companies that had profited heavily from the sanctions. Citing forecasts, he said that the profits of the global oil and gas industries had increased from 500 billion US dollars to 834 billion in 2022. Concerning the domestic economy, PM Orbán said Hungary’s energy companies, banks, large trading companies and pharmaceuticals were making “excessive profits”. Those monies are used to finance the government’s utility and food price cap programme, he said. “We are not watching passively … we will take extra profits away and give the money back to the people,” he said. Referring to “adversaries” of the ruling parties, PM Orbán mentioned “international pro-war groups consisting of the Biden administration, pro-war Brussels bureaucrats and politicians”. He also included in that group Hungary’s leftist parties “bought by the kilo”, who he said were “only doing what their clients order them to do”. As a further group, he mentioned international speculators who “seek to make profits in war times”. PM Orbán concluded his speech by asking the deputies to “continue to be hard-working, represent a team spirit and have courage”.