Aggressive and hostile statements are issuing forth from Kiev

Aggressive and hostile statements are issuing forth from Kiev, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Tuesday at a press conference in Bratislava, Slovakia, in connection with the stopped gas transit, after he had talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. In reference to the inauguration of the new US President, he also said "since yesterday, we have been the mainstream."

In answer to a question related to the issue of gas transit, the Hungarian Prime Minister said this issue cannot be solved with aggressive and hostile statements. Kiev is no longer in such a secure position as to be able to afford a move like this; changes are taking place in the world which are working against Kiev, he said.

He added that "if they remain aggressive and hostile, they will find themselves on the receiving end. We may eventually lose our patience and may take countermeasures."

He indicated that he fully supports Robert Fico's efforts to find a solution to the difficult issue of gas transit through talks as the stopped gas transit jeopardises not only Slovakia, but is equally a threat to the best interests of Hungary and the entire region's supply security.

He said it is unacceptable that today Kiev is trying to control and shape relations with the countries of Central Europe. We give them the respect that is their due, but in return we expect them, too, to give us the respect that we are entitled to, and to be ready to engage in talks - if we raise a serious issue - as is customary in Europe, he stressed.

Mr Orbán said whatever Brussels says about Ukraine's EU membership, it is subject to the unanimous decision of all Member States, including Hungary and Slovakia. Ukraine thinks in vain that they are in with the incumbent Brussels leadership, "we are members in Brussels, while they're applicants," he added.

He also said the Ukrainians cannot behave as if they had whole world, including Bratislava and Budapest, on a string; this may have been so during the US Democratic administration, but it is over now, a new era, an era of peace is about to come. His impression is, he said in continuation, that Kiev has not yet faced up to the fact that the balance of power has radically changed and the countries of Central Europe must be taken seriously.

Regarding Ukraine's NATO membership, the Hungarian Prime Minister said it is not on the agenda and neither will it be because it will never enjoy unanimous support.

He said the reason for the Russo-Ukrainian war is that the Russians made it clear: they are ready to prevent Ukraine's NATO membership even at the expense of a war and a military attack. Ukraine's NATO membership would mean an immediate, direct and all-out war with Russia, he added.

Hungary does not want this, every effort must be made to restore peace. At the same time, Ukraine's NATO membership amounts to war, and therefore Hungary does not support it, he said in summary.

He also said if Ukraine were to join the EU today, that would destroy Hungary. The EU does not have enough money to admit Ukraine to the EU, and "we don't want to destroy our own country," he said, also laying down that Ukraine's accession would bankrupt tens of thousands of Hungarian farmers, and all the funds that are now available in the EU for the development of the economy would have to be given to Ukraine.

He said it is worth engaging in talks about Ukraine's EU membership, but it will not be possible to conclude the accession process for many long years, decades even.

In the context of EU membership, he also drew attention to the fact that a decision in this regard is made by the Member States, and so it is not a workable solution that Ukraine turns its neighbours against itself. Hungarian MEPs will surely not vote for the membership of someone who keeps insulting us, who speaks as if we were their mere servants. If Ukraine knows what is good for it, it should restore amicable relations with Slovakia and Hungary, it should treat us with respect, and should behave as an EU member candidate can be expected to, he said.

Regarding his meeting with Mr Fico, he said there is no doubt that both Slovakia and Hungary are members of NATO and the European Union, and this will stay that way. In Hungary, the people decided on both memberships at referenda, meaning that the government has no possibility or the intention to change this, he observed.

Mr Orbán said Hungarians are often described as an isolated nation in international politics. Compared with this, "since yesterday, we have been the mainstream, we are the mainstream," "we have returned to the main street of history." The western mainstream is pro-peace, pro-family and anti-migration, this is the new mainstream, he stressed.

The Prime Minister laid down that Hungary continued to have a vested interest in the war being concluded within the shortest possible time.

In his view, people in Brussels fail to see how swiftly everything has changed; Brussels continues to pursue a pro-war policy. It would be time for Brussels to sober up, "but Brussels is still in the phase of ordering another round," they will need some more time to adapt to the new situation.

He believes it is bad news that Brussels wants to continue the war and the policy of sanctions. We need low energy prices, but what Brussels and Kiev are doing today are driving energy prices up, he stated.

He also said even after the war it will not be easy to find the right political direction regarding Ukraine because "there will be an enormous quantity of weapons out there" which will pose a threat to neighbouring states.

There will also be the threat that Brussels will redirect to Ukraine the funds that Hungary and Slovakia are entitled to, he said, adding that regional cooperation will be necessary in order to protect our interests.

In Mr Orbán's view, Hungarian-Slovak relations have not been as successful for a long time as they are now; Slovakia became Hungary's second most important trade partner after Germany.

He said they have built bridges, have opened border crossing points, have connected the two countries' power networks together and have built natural gas connectors, the capacity of which they will now increase by almost one billion cubic metres.

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