Lilla Csikesz: Prime Minister, up until now the Germans have been completely opposed to the confiscation of Russian assets. Up until now the Germans have been opposed, but now their position has changed...
One can’t count on the Germans. No one remembers it anymore, which is a shame, and I’d note that perhaps all of you should remember it most clearly, but we were in the same boat as the Germans – we were on the same page. Four years ago war broke out. At that time, two countries were loudly opposed to the war: the Germans and us. At the beginning, the Germans said they wouldn’t send any weapons – helmets, if you remember. Then they said, okay, weapons are fine, but definitely not deadly weapons. This is how we got to the point where now they’re the hawks, they’re leading the way. I remember sitting next to Chancellor Scholz when the Germans said that there was no question of ever imposing sanctions on gas and oil coming from Russia! Now, by contrast, they’re the front-runners in this. I remember a month or two ago that the German chancellor said that everyone around the table should take note and not dare to raise the question of ever touching the frozen Russian assets, because it would destroy the European financial system. Today the Germans are leading the way on this issue. So it’s simply impossible to figure out Germany today. Today they say “A”, tomorrow “B”, and the day after tomorrow “C”. We tend to use the Germans as a guide, because there’s a tradition of German–Hungarian cooperation, and it’s often reasonable to cooperate with the Germans. But in this war and in this sanctions issue, it’s simply impossible to cooperate with the Germans, because they’re on an unpredictable course and are drifting into war, step by step. So today Germany is very close to becoming a leading player in a war between Europe and Russia. I know these are unexpectedly harsh words, but I’d like to remind everyone, for example, that before the First World War, when the heir to the throne was shot, everyone in Budapest, Vienna and Belgrade was calmly drinking coffee on the terraces. So we have experience and historical knowledge of how in a matter of moments – within a month or two – a misguided diplomatic move or response can lead to open war in Europe. And what I see now is that everyone feels that war is far away, that it’s more of a financial issue; but no, the reality is that the European Union is actually preparing for war. I’m not saying that they want to start a war the day after tomorrow – I wouldn’t dare say that. But they’ve decided that there will be a war here – they’ve said that there will be a war between Russia and Europe around 2030, and so we have to prepare for that. They’ve already begun preparations, converting the German economy to a war economy and introducing conscription. How can I put this? I’d warn everyone not to take this lightly: real preparations for war are underway. And Hungarian politicians need to be sensible and not try to jump out of this and stay out of it when they’re no longer able to, just as we were unable to do in the First World War. So the situation is extremely serious, tense, and carries great risks – both financial and direct war risks.