Only a patriotic government can provide security for Hungary

Keeping Hungary out of the war, not taking part in the steps that are taking Europe ever closer to the war and not allowing the Hungarians' money to be taken to Ukraine is a realistic ambition, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said, stressing the importance of the national petition on Kossuth Radio's Friday morning show, highlighting that only a patriotic government is able to provide security for Hungary.

Mr Orbán said we must stay out of the war, and for this we must say no to multiple demands, and must take on the conflict with Brussels. He said he cannot possibly try to defeat more than twenty European countries, most of which are bigger than us, in a debate, and to enforce the Hungarian will.

"Naturally, I'm making every effort to make the European people rebel against the war and stand increasingly on the side of peace," he stated. He said the only chance for Europe to be saved from the terror of the war is if people who want peace and who are in the majority in other countries, the same as in Hungary, force their own governments to switch to a peace policy instead of a war policy.

Therefore, we have a single chance to stay out of this. What the Europeans are doing is a bad thing, and as we cannot change it into something good, our ambition is to stay out of this bad thing, he explained.

"If you don't take the conflict on, you can't stay out. They'll grab you by the scruff of the neck and drag you in, too," he warned, adding that this is why it is not good if there is a Brussels puppet government in Hungary, this is why we need a patriotic government because only a patriotic government can provide security for Hungary.

Mr Orbán recalled that Ukraine's European Union membership meant that the EU would admit a country at war with Russia, and if any member of the EU is at war, then the others, too, will necessarily become involved in that war. Ukraine's EU membership would mean an immediate war with Russia, while if there is peace, it constantly conveys the risk of war, he observed.

"We have already been to Russian or Ukrainian territories forming part of Russia in a war, we know its consequences, we know that if the Russians launch an attack from there, we will suffer primarily and we want to prevent this under any circumstances," he said.

Therefore, we want to talk our European friends out of the risky adventure of stationing soldiers in Ukraine without an agreement with the Russians because this means war, first for Central Europe and then for the whole of Europe, he warned.

Regarding the ban of the three Ukrainian leaders responsible for forced conscription from Hungary, he said it is not a major threat for the Ukrainian military leadership, but is important as a signal. "They cannot possibly hope in Ukraine that we will tolerate without saying a word that Hungarians are caught with forced conscription, torture and apprehension, including people who are not even fit for military service such as the latest Hungarian victim, that they die or are beaten to death such as the previous Hungarian forced conscript," he indicated.

He also mentioned that "Brussels is covering for Kiev," and so Hungary initiated in vain that Brussels should speak out on the matter, and should tell the Ukrainians that under such circumstances Europe will not support Ukraine. Brussels rejected this proposal. Meaning that we cannot expect Brussels to protect the Hungarians living in Ukraine because Brussels has no qualms about sacrificing the Hungarians living in Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

They are not interested in in the fate of the Hungarians. This is only important for us, he said, expressing resentment. He added: we must stand up, we must speak up and we must make clear to the Ukrainians that we are watching them, we are keeping records of all their crimes and these instances will have consequences.

He spoke about the fact that the Tisza Party was financed from Brussels and Kiev because they wanted a government in Hungary which would send the Hungarians' money to these two places.

He highlighted that in most Western European countries there were austerity measures because "Brussels issued the order that we must change over to a wartime economy," and in the next ten years Ukraine would demand USD 700 billion for weapons and USD 800 billion for welfare expenditures which either "must be taken away" from the Member States or must be financed from credit.

Hungary is a country which says no to both, Mr Orbán stated, adding that the Tisza Party is "not exactly famous" for being able to say no to the EU headquarters as the party is "a Brussels creation."

Tisza effectively said already a year ago that they will lie, Mr Orbán said, observing that Tisza told the Hungarian public already back then that they would not reveal what their actual programme would be because they could not win an election with it. With this, "they have also withdrawn themselves from under any accusation of cheating and lying."

Mr Orbán highlighted that they would protect the reduction of household energy bills, but the present regime could not be maintained if the country was detached from Russian energy carriers. Anyone who claims otherwise is either not familiar with the situation or is lying.

He mentioned that the Tisza Party's energy policy expert "sent" from Shell sought to achieve - in addition to detachment from Russian energy - the scrapping of the high taxes imposed on oil companies in accordance with the interests of large energy companies.

You must pay for energy, except today it is not families that pay, but large energy providers, traders and energy producing companies such as Shell, he stated, pointing out that large profits stem from the very cheapness of Russian energy, and it is these profits they take away in order to finance the reduction of household energy bills.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, the Prime Minister stressed that the direct threat was that the Hungarians' money was going to be given to Ukraine; the next level was that young Hungarians would be taken to Ukraine as soldiers under the command of a European army; while the level thereafter unfolded from the words of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. According to his statements, western soldiers would be stationed in the territory of Ukraine.

The Russians regularly indicate that any western forces entering the territory of Ukraine constitute military targets, "they will shoot at them" which may lead to a clash between EU and Russian soldiers, and this in turn conveys the threat that the frontline, the war moves closer to Hungary, Mr Orbán explained.

He pointed out that we must state already now, at the very beginning, that under no circumstances would we go to war with Russia either in the territory of Russia, or in the territory of Ukraine. Hungary is only prepared to take part in a defence alliance.

Regarding the fact that on Thursday US President Donald Trump reassured him of his support in his re-election campaign, he recalled that in the previous elections the left-wing US administration had supported the left-wing opposition, but since then things had changed.

He said there is an old alliance between the US President and Hungary, "we cooperated well when he was president of the United States the first time." In continuation, he said "our philosophy is that we must gather friends, this is the essence of our foreign policy."

In America, we succeeded because there is a major international topic, the war in Europe, the Russo-Ukrainian war, the issue of war and peace, on which there is agreement and on which the United States needs support, he explained.

Mr Orbán said in Europe Hungary is the only country which has continuously stood for the position, ever since he outbreak of the war, that if Donald Trump had been the president of the United States in 2022, this war would never have broken out in the first place. If the Europeans "stopped tripping up and hindering" the US President, peace would have already been restored a long time ago, he stressed, adding that Donald Trump is the only international leader who does not give up and continuously comes up with new ideas and experiments in the interest of peace, and for this he needs European allies.

"We're not the largest country in Europe, but we are the only ally of the United States on the issue of peace, and we have every reason to be proud of that," he said.

Hungary is one of the few countries from which US capital is not repatriated, but is brought into; since Donald Trump has been president, they have agreed on at least a dozen US investments in the top category from a technological point of view, he highlighted.

Mr Orbán said it is an important part of the US president's political strategy - as he comes from the realm of business - that no one knows anything for sure in advance, including whether he will come to Hungary during the period ahead.

The Prime Minister also spoke about the fact that the funds were available to cover the extra expenditures. Last year and also this year, the deficit of the budget stands at five per cent, while the sovereign debt is around 73 to 74 per cent with which Hungary is in the European middle rankings. He added that in his view, the Hungarian economy could again reckon with a 5 per cent budget deficit, meaning that it was stable and predictable which investors, too, accepted as Hungary was in the investment grade category.

He highlighted that it was not credit rating agencies, but investors that decided what to think of one country or another, and evidently, major investments were coming to Hungary not only from America, but also from Asia and Europe.

The Prime Minister said against the background of an economic growth below 1 per cent, there was an 11 per cent minimum wage increase. Meaning that the Hungarian economy is capable of this performance even against the background of a 1 per cent growth, he stressed, pointing out in continuation that it is capable of offering interest subsidies with the fixed 3 per cent housing loans for first-time home buyers. We are capable of doubling the family tax benefit, and from July we made the infant and child care benefits tax-free. These measures amount to tens of thousands of forints in the pockets of families, and there will be families for whom this will result in an extra revenue of a hundred thousand forints, he pointed out. He added: the Hungarian economy - as all European economies - is suffering from the war which is blocking growth.

The Prime Minister took the view that the notion of connecting work and family together - which the government launched fifteen years ago - had yielded tangible results: they were able to provide substantial help for families even against the background of a low growth rate.

He said they are laying down important keystones in the building of a family-based economy and society. The work that they started can be finished in the next four years, meaning that they can switch the Hungarian economy to a family-based mode of operation. The basis of this is that we are living in a world in Hungary where everyone must work, or else they cannot support themselves and their families.

Mr Orbán dismissed ideas about scrapping the thirteenth and fourteenth monthly pensions as evident nonsense. He asked: Why is it a problem if pensioners receive higher pensions? Why is it a problem if a country's economy is able to raise the funds with which to give more money to its citizens who worked through a lifetime? Pensions are not a gift, but recognition of the fact that there was a period when these people were active and carried the country on their shoulders, he stressed, adding that they have the right to feel safe in old age.

Mr Orbán also spoke about the fact that Brussels opposed the thirteenth monthly pension in its present form and "vomits blood" at the very idea of the introduction of the fourteenth monthly pension. We must continually say no to Brussels so that we can introduce the thirteenth and fourteenth monthly pensions, the family support system, and so on. They would like us to leave this money that we give our families with their multinationals or to pay it in to Brussels, the Prime Minister pointed out.

He said they are preparing to increase the contributions of Member States during the period ahead, mostly so that they can send that money to Ukraine. We say no to this because we say that this money is in a better place with Hungarian families than in Kiev, Mr Orbán laid down.