Latest news with #Hungarians'
Budapest Times
21-07-2025
- Business
- Budapest Times
Orbán: At least 20% of Hungarians' money would be given to Ukraine in EU budget
Commenting on the EU's post-2027 budget draft, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that at least 20 percent of Europeans' money and therefore 20 percent of Hungarians' money would be given to Ukraine. PM Orbán said in an interview with public radio that several independent expert groups have identified and added up 'hidden items in the budget categorised under the European Commission's individual decisions', and found that 20 percent, or possibly even 25 percent of the budget could be transferred to Ukraine. 'I can confidently say, not based on my own knowledge, but based on the knowledge of experts, that at least 20 percent of this budget is targeted at Ukraine,' PM Orbán said.
Budapest Times
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Bóka: EU calls for change and ‘it cannot wait'
János Bóka, Hungary's European affairs minister, said the European Union calls for change and 'it cannot wait'. Posting on Facebook on Wednesday, ahead of the European Commission's publishing its draft budget for the next seven years, Minister Bóka said the draft to be presented would 'make clear the difference between Brussels' and Hungary's views on Europe'. 'Brussels would send Hungarians' money to Ukraine, while we would keep those funds at home … Brussels would open doors wide open to illegal migration, while we would stem it,' the minister said. 'We will clearly see what kind of Europe they want, and we will clearly indicate what kind of Europe we wish to see,' Minister Bóka said.
Budapest Times
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Orbán: Ukraine's accession to NATO would immediately result in war with Russia
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Ukraine's accession to NATO would immediately result in war with Russia, which would carry the risk of a third world war, so Ukraine must not be allowed to join either NATO or the European Union. The prime minister said on Facebook that Hungary has a primary security interest in not belonging to the same integration framework as Ukraine. He said the signatories of a recently launched initiative of Hungarian citizens open to political thinking included people that he used to fight together with for Hungarians' freedom and the country's independence 35 years ago. 'For obvious reasons, the respect resulting from this has since worn thin; but the shared past still obliges. This is why I publish the following response,' he said. PM Orbán said the signatories neglected Hungary's interests, and their assessment of the consequences of the continuation of the Russia-Ukraine war was flawed. 'They are also wrong in identifying the European Union's interests. If the EU accepts Ukraine as a member, it will currently result in an open war, and following a ceasefire it would result in the continual risk of a Europe-Russia war,' he said. 'If we want to help Ukraine … then instead of a war that destroys the country and results in the dispersion of the Ukrainian people, or utopistic promises of integration, we should offer them a form of cooperation that will bring an end to the war, offer efficient help, and does not sacrifice the interests of Hungary and the EU on the altar of an ill-fated and delirious strategy,' he said. 'Ceterum censeo, Hungary comes first,' he added.
Budapest Times
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Six more Hungarians evacuated from the Middle East
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said six more Hungarians have left Jordan, noting that the government, with Slovakia's help, has ensured that 13 Hungarian citizens have reached safety. The conflict zone around the Iran-Israel war has widened, and more Hungarians are in danger and want to reach safety, the minister noted in a statement, adding that 800 citizens have asked for consular protection. Seven Hungarian citizens left Jordan the previous day and are now in Cyprus, he said. After arriving in Bratislava, they will be helped to return home, he added. The foreign minister said two big evacuation operations are underway in the Middle East. 'I cannot give details because I do not want to jeopardise the success of these operations,' he said, noting 'many Hungarians' were affected. Detailed information may be forthcoming in the evening once it is safe to reveal it, he said, adding that Iranian and Israeli airspace are closed, complicating the operations and requiring meticulous planning 'to prevent any evacuation operation from turning into a tragedy'.
Budapest Times
19-06-2025
- Business
- Budapest Times
Orbán: Hungary's energy supply is at stake
"We won't let ourselves be made to pay for the latest lunacy in Brussels," PM Orbán said. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Tuesday that an important battle started in Brussels on Monday, adding that Hungary's energy supply is at stake. 'At stake is no less than whether Hungarian households can be saved from the plan of Brussels bureaucrats and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky, which would jeopardise Hungary's oil and gas supplies and make Hungarians' utility costs skyrocket,' the prime minister said in a post on Facebook. While the prices of oil and gas are on the increase in the wake of the war in the Middle East, 'it appears as if Brussels wants to exacerbate the problem deliberately … they want to ban Russian energy from the European Union at all costs,' PM Orbán said. Europe already buys energy at higher prices than its competitors due to its 'ill-advised sanctions policy', he said, adding that 'if Brussels eliminates Russian supplies for good, it will mean shutting down the most important pipelines supplying oil and gas to Hungary.' 'Amidst a war, this is unbelievably dangerous,' PM Orbán added. 'Doing so while the war is raging in the Middle East is sheer madness. Why are they still doing that? Brussels bureaucrats don't consider the interests of European people … they are terrified that the war could be over, and they will be faced with what they have achieved with the tremendous amount of weapons and money sent to the war,' PM Orbán said. 'They are fighting for political survival; therefore, they are not concerned if the costs of Hungarian households are sky-high as a consequence of their decisions,' he added. 'We won't let ourselves be made to pay for the latest lunacy in Brussels,' PM Orbán said, noting that representatives of Hungary and Slovakia recently thwarted a decree 'that would have given the green light to proposals by the [European] Commission.'
