At a press conference, Prime Minister Orbán stated that differences between the United States and the European Union on key strategic issues are widening. According to the Prime Minister, the American side is engaged in ongoing negotiations with Russia, whereas European leaders have made a clear political decision to defeat Russia on Ukrainian territory and are speaking openly about this objective.
Prime Minister Orbán said the divergence reflects a growing strategic gap in transatlantic cooperation between Europe and the United States.
Turning to Hungarian-Ukrainian relations, the Prime Minister described Ukraine’s recent actions toward Hungary as openly hostile. He said that attempting to create disruption in a country’s energy supply constitutes a hostile act, as does seeking to involve Hungary in financial commitments related to the war that it does not wish to undertake.
Prime Minister Orbán also described efforts to persuade the European Union to impose sanctions that would cut Hungary off from affordable Russian energy as hostile steps against Hungary.
Responding to a question, the Prime Minister said current tensions stem from Ukraine’s view that any country not supporting it is considered an adversary. However, he added that once the war ends, this dimension will disappear, and relations could return to normal diplomatic and economic cooperation.
Prime Minister Orbán stressed that peace is the key to improving bilateral relations, but as long as the war continues, he sees little chance for normalization.
He further claimed that Ukraine has openly interfered in Hungarian elections and may continue to do so in the coming days. One of the key questions of the upcoming election, he said, is whether Hungary will have a Ukraine-friendly government that sends Hungarian money — and potentially weapons and young people — into the war.
Prime Minister Orbán concluded by noting that transatlantic cooperation is becoming increasingly complex, citing developments related to Gaza as another example of diverging approaches between the United States and the European Union.