‘We must deal with a dangerous illusion. A country cannot be made strong by an optimism that ignores its problems. It can be confident and hopeful only if it recognizes the problem in time and has a serious plan to solve it…Our task now is not to create panic. And it is not to sell false hope. But it is to remain sober.’

‘For peace, a ceasefire is needed first. Only then can a peace plan be developed to end the conflict. Anyone who does not accept this is not familiar with the science of peacemaking,’ Balázs Orbán wrote in his analysis for Mandiner.

‘Our fate has become one with that of the European Union not only because of integration, but also for geographical, economic, cultural and civilizational reasons. If the ship sinks, we sink with it. Of course, it is our duty to do everything we can to prepare a good lifeboat, but tossing and turning in a lifeboat in stormy seas is not the same as on an ocean liner. Therefore, the wisest thing to do is to remove the captain before he steers Europe’s ship into an iceberg. And the opportunity to do so is just now, more than twenty years after our accession.’

The guiding thread of Hungarian conservative thinking has always been to represent the Hungarian national interest, and thus the preservation of the country’s sovereignty and freedom—this is understood to supersede any theoretical concepts.