Latest news with #Orbán
Gulf Insider
4 hours ago
- Business
- Gulf Insider
Orbán: 20% Of EU's New 7-Year Budget Would Go To Ukraine, 10-12% Goes To Debt Repayments
The European Commission's seven-year budget is already facing backlash, with Ursula von der Leyen's request for €2 trillion from member states being slapped down by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other leaders. One of the main voices against the budget is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who says it is designed to bring Ukraine into the EU as a member and hand Kyiv billions of euros. 'If we look only at financial aspects, we should see that in addition to the 20-25 percent of budget resources allocated to Ukraine, 10-12 percent of previously taken out loans go to loan repayments,' said Orbán in an interview with Kossuth Radio's 'Good Morning, Hungary' program. Adding up money to Ukraine and debt repayments, 30 percent of the budget goes to areas that were not included in the previous seven-year budget, said the Hungarian prime minister. 'That's why everyone in the European Union is shouting,' he added. 'The budget is a great science to understand, you have to be able to read not only what is written in it, but also what is hidden behind the lines,' Orbán said. The Hungarian prime minister said the problem with the budget is that it does not have a clear strategic basis. 'If we do not know what it is for, then it cannot be good, because we must first answer what goals we want to achieve with it,' he said. As far as Orbán is concerned, the main goal of the budget is to admit Ukraine into the EU. 'The EU budget has only one obvious purpose: to bring Ukraine into the EU, and these funds are transferred to Ukraine,' he said. According to the prime minister, the right move would be not to accept the Ukrainians but to instead develop a kind of cooperative relationship with them. He also said that not only is there uncertainty about Ukraine, but money is also being lost for agriculture. The prime minister asked the question: 'What will happen to farmers if the EU does not support them in the future?' According to Orbán, this budget will not survive, with EU countries lining up to reject it. This may be much more than bravado, as it is widely reported at the moment that a number of key EU leaders are coming out against the budget, most notably German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. 'A comprehensive increase in the EU budget is unacceptable at a time when all member states are making considerable efforts to consolidate their national budgets,' said Stefan Kornelius, spokesperson for Merz's government. 'We will therefore not be able to accept the Commission's proposal.' A path forward will not be easy, as Orbán notes that any EU budget agreement requires unanimous approval from all member states. Given that the Commission is trying to tie rule-of-law sanctions to a variety of expanded areas, which countries like Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia are certain to reject, negotiations are expected to be intense. During the last seven-year budget, many conservatives and those on the right criticized the previous Orbán government and their then Polish conservative allies for agreeing to the rule-of-law sanctions in exchange for signing off on the budget. The move turned out to be a bad one for Hungary, Poland, and other sovereignist-minded political parties. The EU froze tens of billions for both nations, and for Poland, only unfroze the money once the left-liberal Tusk government came to power. For Hungary, approximately €10 billion still remains frozen.
Budapest Times
3 days ago
- 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
3 days ago
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Hungary must stay on the side of peace, PM says
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary must stay on the side of peace. The prime minister said the war in Ukraine will not end unless the Russian and US presidents sit down for talks and they reach an overall agreement which will cover the war as an important element, but not the only element. PM Orbán said in the interview with Tamás Király on the YouTube channel Ultrahang that if everyone wanted peace, 'it is impossible that peace would not be achieved'. 'What happens in the current situation is that everyone says they want peace, yet some of them do not really want it,' he added. PM Orbán said that Europeans and Ukrainians obviously wanted to continue war no matter what they said, and the US president truly wanted peace. 'As for the Russians, what's certain is that they want to reach the marked territorial borders and want to prevent, if necessary by war, that Ukraine should become a NATO member or a NATO weapons depository,' he added. Beyond the issue of the war, the comprehensive Russia-US agreement would cover the development of energy prices, US access to Russian markets and Russian access to US markets, economic sanctions, technology, and the issue of arms control, he said. PM Orbán said Hungary was a 'dangerous example' showing in Europe that it was possible to take a stand against war, to stand up for peace, and 'if you are strong enough you can stay out of the war'. Hungary was 'the antithesis of all that Europe is doing, talking about peace but in truth being interested in maintaining the war,' he added. He said he was regularly putting in use all his links with both the Russian and the US presidents to promote peace. While US President Donald Trump has failed to create peace since his inauguration in January, 'if Biden had stayed or Kamala Harris had come in his stead, we would be in the middle of a world war.' Trump 'is a man of peace and doubtlessly the only one with a chance to contribute to a Russia-Ukraine peace' deal, he said. Asked why he stood firmly for keeping Hungary out of the war from the beginning, Orban said his 'firm conviction' was founded on national interests, among other reasons. 'Hungary cannot come out of a situation where 800,000 or a million people are armed in Ukraine, creating a larger and stronger army than Hungary's; only God knows what that would be used in the coming decade,' he said. PM Orbán said 'no condition is in place' for Ukraine to win against Russia. Ukraine 'has fewer men and less money than Russia even is the West stuffs them with money, its weapons industry is decades behind Russia's, and, most importantly, Russia is a nuclear power, and no one … has ever defeated a nuclear superpower'. 'I have always thought that the plan that Ukraine should defeat Russia on the frontline, possibly destabilising it so it can be transformed, was a foolish one,' Orban said. Meanwhile, PM Orbán said the focus of 'the historic period we are living in' was not the Russia-Ukraine war but 'the problem of Christian-Muslim coexistence'. 'What's the point in Christian, white Europeans killing each other by the hundreds of thousands on the Russia-Ukraine border while masses of people, who are strangers to our culture … and belong to the world of Islam are allowed to enter at the other end of the continent?' PM Orbán said that this 'abnormal behaviour' was a sign that 'political leaders are misreading the historic time'. 'The power issues of the Russia-Ukraine war, and its conclusion, may be more important at the moment, but it isn't the historic time that will determine the lives of our children and grandchildren.' He said there was no danger of Russia attacking NATO member states, adding that while Russia had some 140 million inhabitants, the EU had 400 million. Further, the money Russia could plough into a war with Europe 'is a fraction' of what the West could mobilise, even without US help, he said. He said he had yet to see a 'sensible argument' of why Russia would start a war against Western Europe, that it could only lose. At the same time, the Baltic states and Poland 'are worried that NATO won't protect them against a Russian attack; that explains why they want to beat the Russians now and bring the matter to a head,' PM Orbán said. At the same time, the solution to the problem is not on the battlefield, he said. 'The response to their dilemma is not forcing a war but strengthening NATO,' he added. PM Orbán said the NATO summit of 2008 had proven that Russians had the power to prevent Ukrainians or Georgians from becoming NATO members, and since that time once again Russia had to be considered a persisting, long-lasting and continually strengthening player in world politics.
Yemen Online
4 days ago
- Business
- Yemen Online
UAE President visits Hungary to deepen strategic relations
UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to explore ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and support the development goals of both nations. The high-level meeting, held at the Prime Minister's Office in Budapest, was part of His Highness' official visit to Hungary. Discussions focused on expanding collaboration in strategic sectors such as trade, investment, technology, infrastructure, and renewable energy. His Highness reaffirmed the UAE's commitment to fostering strong international partnerships, emphasizing the importance of joint efforts to drive progress and prosperity. Prime Minister Orbán expressed appreciation for the UAE President's visit, noting that it marks a significant step in enhancing UAE-Hungary relations. Both leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues, stressing the importance of diplomatic solutions to conflicts and reaffirming their support for international efforts to promote peace and stability. Prime Minister Orbán also hosted a dinner in honor of His Highness and his delegation.
Filipino Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Filipino Times
UAE President visits Hungary to deepen strategic relations
UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to explore ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and support the development goals of both nations. The high-level meeting, held at the Prime Minister's Office in Budapest, was part of His Highness' official visit to Hungary. Discussions focused on expanding collaboration in strategic sectors such as trade, investment, technology, infrastructure, and renewable energy. His Highness reaffirmed the UAE's commitment to fostering strong international partnerships, emphasizing the importance of joint efforts to drive progress and prosperity. Prime Minister Orbán expressed appreciation for the UAE President's visit, noting that it marks a significant step in enhancing UAE-Hungary relations. Both leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues, stressing the importance of diplomatic solutions to conflicts and reaffirming their support for international efforts to promote peace and stability. =Prime Minister Orbán also hosted a dinner in honor of His Highness and his delegation.
