You can't win with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's victory plan, you can only lose, and that's why we're not taking part in it, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Good morning, Hungary Radio Kossuth.
According to the Prime Minister, the EU is divided into two groups when it comes to the war in Ukraine: "There are the others and then there are us". Hungary announced right from the start that we do not want to participate in the war effort, while other EU countries are participating in the war, he noted. They are not involved in a direct conflict with Russia because Ukraine is among them, and so Ukrainians are fighting on the front and Ukrainians are dying there. In reality, however, the EU is behaving as a belligerent, he stressed, adding that Hungary made it clear at the beginning that this is the wrong strategy, this war cannot be won and instead action must be taken.
He added that we must try to end the war as soon as possible in order to minimise the number of casualties and territorial losses in Ukraine and also so that we Hungarians and Europeans in general can return to a peaceful life. So that we don't have to send billions of dollars and euros to war and burn them there, so that we don't have to impose sanctions, so that we don't destroy European trade and the European energy system, so that we don't create a situation in which energy prices rise and cause unprecedented inflation, and so that we don't create a situation in which the price of gas in the European economy is four or five times higher than in America, Orbán stated Hungary's position, adding that "we also said it would end in defeat".
Now, he said, the other 26 EU countries have heard - in shock - President Zelensky's speech about having a winning plan. "But what did he have before?" He asked. "What has been a plan has turned out to be a plan of defeat; now they want to move from that to a plan of victory," Orbán said, stressing that we are not taking part in this, we wish to be proved right, but with this plan of victory you cannot win, you can only lose.
In response to press reports about Ukrainian plans to develop a nuclear bomb, Orbán said that what he had heard personally from President Zelensky did not give him the impression that the Ukrainians were seriously considering becoming a nuclear power. "But the very possibility is frightening," he noted, adding that this clearly shows the seriousness of the situation, that the Ukrainian plan, which may not even exist, could cause waves of panic among members of the European public. Everyone feels that we are so close to the possibility of war breaking out across Europe that this situation is also serving as a breeding ground for such semi-information. "Our services are working hard to clarify whether Ukraine actually has a plan to build nuclear weapons," He said.
He also talked about the European People's Party (EPP) imagining a Europe that is bad for Hungarians, adding that Brussels wants a government of its own choosing to be sent here as a lieutenant or proxy instead of the current government.
Regarding the EPP poster calling for Orbán's departure, the prime minister said that one of the reasons could be Hungary's position on the war, as he suggested that the German chancellor and the French president should start talks - "whether in your name or in the name of Europe" - with the Russians "before the scene ...will be discovered by the Americans." He added that the European People's Party had gone to the next level in the last debate in the European Parliament, where "announced its own demands" for the departure of his cabinet so that the new government belonging to their party family "pursue a policy that will meet with the approval of Brussels, which means letting in migrants, going to war, adopting gender ideology and abolishing Hungary's child protection system".
In addition. "they also have a bunch of economic demands, like we shouldn't tax their multinationals and we should leave their banks alone," Orbán said, adding that Hungarians will decide who should lead the country in the next elections, which are due to be held in a year and a half. Until then, instead of campaigning, they must work hard and "to make our policy, which is different from that of Brussels, successful both in the economy and in foreign policy"because "like hell the Germans would tell us how it should be in Hungary".
Orbán stressed that since the beginning of the war, positions have changed in favour of Russia and against Ukraine. "So it is good to negotiate from a position of strength, but the problem is that we are weak. And now the winning plan is about how we become strong. But at the moment we are losing the war." All other EU countries have a war strategy, while Hungary has a peace strategy, the prime minister said, stressing that "the best idea is to conclude a peace agreement or at least a ceasefire and try to settle the conflict with the least possible losses and the best possible future prospects".
There are problems in the European Union and the problems to which Hungary gives different answers represent the biggest challenges, Orbán said, citing the issues of migration, the reduction of household utility bills and the war as examples. He argued that Hungary, as a country of 10 million "should not be an item", our gross domestic product is not the highest in the European Union, we do not have the biggest army, we do not have the biggest influence, "which means they might as well leave us alone". He added that the problem is that "what we are doing in Hungary is more or less what the Europeans would like to see here and that their own governments are doing the opposite".
Orbán was of the opinion that today everyone in Europe is against migration, "no normal person" except governments do not support migration and "they'd put their hand in the fire" for the migration situation to be the same as in Hungary. In Hungary "there is no migration crisis because we are not letting migrants in; meanwhile they keep banging their heads against the wall saying 'how could we have been so stupid as to let migrants in by the millions' and now they don't know what to do with them and they keep coming and coming and coming," He said.
According to him, the situation is similar in the case of household utility bills, where people in Europe are asking: how come families in Hungary, which is far from being the richest country in the European Union, pay the least for electricity and gas. He suggested that in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, Europeans are also asking how it is that their governments are "up to their necks in war", while Hungary is on the side of peace, as are most Europeans.
"Hungary, unlike its own governments, is a model in the eyes of Europeans, a thorn in the side, a splinter that puts European governments in a difficult situation," he said, noting that they are still trying to diminish its importance, "pass by unnoticed" and not to provoke "they left us alone"but European leaders feel challenged that it is not just about Hungary, but that European policies, including economic, military, energy and migration policies, could be implemented differently.
The biggest problem in our country is that we are successful, he concluded, citing economic growth and the issue of migration as examples. The prime minister said that Hungary - through no fault of its own - was challenging EU countries that were pursuing the wrong policies, but that this had also improved its reputation. Orbán mentioned that he had met the German chancellor last week and would be received by the French president next week. "Obviously, the fact that we are doing things differently and that we are succeeding in doing things differently enhances Hungary's reputation in the field of foreign policy," He said.
I believe that our influence is greater than the size of the country and its actual economic or military strength would suggest.
Orbán attaches great importance to the national consultations because, in his view, they should form the very basis of the new economic policy. The prime minister said that next year "we will determine"; A twenty-one-point economic action plan is now being finalised, which should give a major boost to the Hungarian economy. "Many will be surprised", when the economic data for the first quarter of 2025 is released.
He added that while the world is changing, Europe is stagnating instead of trying to adapt. Europe is unable or unwilling to do so. "In comparison, Hungary will take off like a rocket, because by quickly adapting, launching and strengthening this economic neutrality policy, we will be able to outpace the others in this race, if the people confirm it through a national consultation," Orbán said.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the new economic policy necessarily entails difficulties, it is difficult to gain momentum, a lot of work needs to be done and it also entails certain risks. Therefore, we should only embark on it if the people support it and accept that Hungary should pursue its own economic policy.
As for the government's economic policy plans, he stressed that if there was a war, these plans would remain in a drawer because they were not the kind of economic policy that was necessary in time of war. Following this, he said that he is praying and cheering for Donald Trump in the upcoming US elections, adding that he believes that we can avoid getting involved in a war. "We just hope and pray that there are no more victory plans," He said.
In connection with another main theme of the new economic policy, the Prime Minister said that we must protect the country from migration at all times and preserve Hungary as a migrant-free zone. Migration, he said, apart from bringing with it the threat of terrorism, increased crime and fuelling tensions, also absorbs huge amounts of money. Now Hungary has been fined for not letting migrants in. However, this fine is much less than the financial burden we would bear as a result of allowing migrants in, he explained.
Among the government's plans, he mentioned raising salaries, making housing cheaper for young people, helping families by doubling the tax allowance for children and Demján Sándor's plan to support small and medium-sized enterprises. "This new economic policy will deliver spectacular results in everyday life next year if it is confirmed in the national consultation," He summarized.
He said that Europe's competitiveness had declined as a result of the events of the last decade or so, while America's and China's competitiveness had improved. Europe is responding to this situation by isolating itself, forming a bloc, introducing protective tariffs, basically "takes the position of a hedgehog". The prime minister believes that this is a wrong attitude and stressed that the essence of Hungarian policy is interconnectedness, economic neutrality, "we have to trade with everyone, we have to compete with everyone, we have to participate in every international company that is competitive, we have to work together so that Hungary also shares in the great economic gains that are being made around the world".
miniszterelnok.hu/ gnews - RoZ
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