In an address opening the spring term of parliament, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said inflation will not be removed unless peace has been secured and Brussels has withdrawn sanctions.
The prime minister said the government can moderate inflation, however, and it intends to lower inflation to the single digits by year-end. PM Orbán also said that on the first anniversary of the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, it was reasonable for Hungary to make it clear that it had not changed its position, and a parliamentary resolution by MPs of the ruling Fidesz and Christian Democrats stating that Hungary remains pro-peace and wants to stay out of the Russia-Ukraine war deserved support. A clear declaration is needed because Hungary is under pressure daily, he said. “Everybody can see that they want to pressure us into the war”, and they want us “to join pro-war countries”, he said. Hungary must endure provocations every day, PM Orbán said. “I ask you not to rise to provocations and we should stick to Hungary’s interests in the political arena,” he added. In the past two months, as the Russia-Ukraine war continued, new EU sanctions were announced, and it is now clear that energy prices will not return to pre-war levels, he said.