PM Orbán: 'If everyone wants peace, why is there still war?'
PM Orbán acknowledged that he rarely engages with digital content himself. 'I have a good old Nokia,' he said. 'I'm from the generation that believes a phone is for making phone calls. I do have an iPad, secretly, but it's dangerous. It pulls you in.' He admitted that even his limited browsing often reveals how misunderstood his statements are. 'Sometimes I think, why didn't they just ask me what I meant?'
On why he has recently appeared in multiple podcasts, Prime Minister Orbán said he welcomes interviews, but only under certain conditions. 'If there's a chance for a meaningful conversation, I'm available. But I won't sit down for a back-and-forth ambush. And I won't talk to mercenaries — those paid from abroad. I like knowing I'm speaking to the person in front of me, not their funders.'
The discussion turned toward the ongoing war in Ukraine, where the prime minister offered a sobering perspective. 'Everyone says they want peace, but there's still war. That means someone is lying.' PM Orbán believes some European and Ukrainian leaders are actively interested in prolonging the conflict. 'They want the war to continue, no matter what they say.'
In contrast, he described U.S. President Donald Trump as 'the man of peace.' While Trump has not yet ended the war, the alternative, according to Prime Minister Orbán, could have been catastrophic. 'If Biden or Harris had stayed in power, we might already be in a world war. So we must be grateful that Trump is in office.'
He argued that the only path to peace is through direct negotiation between the Russian and American presidents. 'A deal won't come from Kyiv. It must come from Washington and Moscow. Until then, there will be no peace.'
The prime minister also outlined why Hungary immediately chose neutrality. 'First, it's about national interest. If our neighbor builds an army of 800,000, no one knows who they'll aim it at next.' He added that from the beginning, the odds were stacked against Ukraine. 'They're fewer in number, under-resourced, and facing a nuclear superpower. No one has ever defeated such a power on the battlefield.'
He went further, placing the war within a broader civilizational context. 'While White, Christian Europeans kill each other on the Russian-Ukrainian front, we allow masses of people from alien cultures to flood into Europe. It's abnormal.'
Regarding the possibility of Russia attacking Western Europe, Prime Minister Orbán was unequivocal. 'It's not realistic. Russia has 140 million people. The EU has over 440 million, not counting the Americans. Militarily and economically, the West is far stronger. The solution is not pushing war, but strengthening NATO.'
He also dismissed the idea of Hungary exiting the EU. 'There's no such moment on the horizon when it would be better to leave. Spiritually, perhaps we are drifting apart, but economically, Hungary benefits more by staying.' Still, he criticized the direction the EU has taken since Hungary's accession. 'There was no talk in 2004 of forced migration, child-rearing policies, or being dragged into war.'
On the economic front, the prime minister reflected on 2025's rocky start. 'I expected by now we'd at least have a ceasefire and see economic improvement. But Europe convinced Ukraine to continue the war.' Still, Hungary pressed forward with programs to support business. 'Despite the challenges, we launched initiatives like the Sándor Demjén Program.'
Asked about his ideological transformation, he explained his shift from liberalism to conservatism. 'In the 20th century, liberals and conservatives united against totalitarianism. But now liberals claim that anyone who disagrees with them is undemocratic. We've shown there is such a thing as a conservative, Christian democracy. They just refuse to acknowledge it.'
Lastly, Prime Minister Orbán addressed whether he would remain in politics if Fidesz moved into opposition. 'Even then, I wouldn't disappear. This is more than a job. It's a mission.'
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