Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reaffirmed his country’s position as a global advocate for peace in an interview published Wednesday evening on Mandiner’s YouTube channel. He spoke shortly after participating in the signing of the Gaza ceasefire agreement in Sharm el-Sheikh, calling Hungary’s presence at the peace summit ‘a matter of duty’.
Orbán said that since Donald Trump’s return to political prominence, a ‘global network’ has been forming around the US president, consisting of world leaders who seek peaceful resolutions to armed conflicts. ‘These leaders gather around Trump because that is where strength and capability lie,’ he said, adding that Hungary is part of this informal alliance. ‘When it comes to peace—from Ukraine to the Middle East—Hungary can be counted on,’ the prime minister declared.
He described the Gaza ceasefire as a rare success, crediting the achievement in part to what he called an ‘uncharacteristic humility’ from the American president. According to Orbán, without that attitude of service, the agreement would not have been possible.
Asked about the absence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen from the peace talks, Orbán replied that she represents the member states and that ‘we were there in her place, she wasn’t missed.’
Looking ahead, Orbán confirmed that he will meet President Trump ‘soon’, with 80 per cent of the discussion topics already agreed upon. He said the meeting will focus largely on economic cooperation, particularly the renewal of the double taxation avoidance treaty. ‘We have restored political relations with the United States,’ Orbán noted, adding that eight major American investments have been made in Hungary this year, with several more on the way.
The prime minister praised Trump as a reliable partner, claiming that ‘everybody has betrayed the American president at least once, except Hungary.’ He stressed that Budapest refused to turn away from Trump after his electoral defeat and did not align itself with the Biden administration, citing fundamental disagreements on migration, family policy, and peace.
Orbán also criticized the European Union’s stance on the war in Ukraine, saying that EU leaders ‘lack the humility necessary for peace.’ He argued that if there were genuine Western unity, peace would already have been achieved on the Ukrainian front. ‘European leaders have a war strategy and a war plan, and they are trying to drag President Trump from the side of peace to the side of war,’ he said, asserting that the US has already ‘stepped back’ from the conflict while Europe continues to finance it.
Regarding the upcoming EU summit, Orbán said Hungary intends to clarify with Moscow whether potential countermeasures could include freezing Hungarian assets if the EU proceeds with using frozen Russian funds. ‘If Hungarian companies face retaliation in Russia because of this, I will not support it,’ he declared.
The prime minister also addressed his domestic political standing, warning against complacency ahead of the 2026 elections. ‘There are no easy elections in Hungary,’ he said. ‘Winning the trust of Hungarians is perhaps the hardest thing in the world.’
In closing, Orbán urged citizens to join an ongoing petition opposing Ukraine’s EU accession, arguing that it would ‘bring war into the Union’ and divert European resources. He called for at least one and a half to two million signatures to strengthen Hungary’s position in the upcoming talks.
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