Prime Minister Viktor Orbán emphasized the importance of swift economic action and strategic calm in addressing the challenges facing Hungary and Europe. From advancing peace efforts to pushing for reforms, he detailed his vision in an interview with Kossuth Radio.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Budapest defines itself in opposition to Brussels, aiming to transform the EU’s direction in the coming years. At a summit in Brussels, Orbán called for migration control, lower energy prices, and a Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine.
Six months ago, many questioned whether Hungary could fulfil the role of ‘honest broker’ required for the EU Presidency. Now, as the semester concludes, it is evident that Budapest has delivered one of the most successful and memorable presidencies in the history of the European Union.
‘Because this process will be so difficult, the sad but unavoidable truth may be that if Ukraine takes part in the talks from the start, progress towards a settlement will become completely impossible,’ British journalist and author Anatol Lieven writes in his recent opinion piece published on Foreign Policy.
A recent Századvég poll reveals that 77 per cent of Hungarians believe Donald Trump, upon assuming office in 2025, could end the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war. The findings highlight strong public support for peace initiatives, aligning with Hungary’s diplomatic efforts.
Donald Trump’s pick for national security advisor, Mike Waltz, stated in a recent interview that the President-elect’s team will take a hard look at Viktor Orbán’s Christmas ceasefire proposal. Last week the Hungarian prime minister concluded his second peace mission in six months, presenting a truce initiative and a large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
‘We knew that if Donald Trump won the US presidential election, the most influential man in Europe—the politician whose phone calls would be answered by Trump, Putin, and Xi Jinping—would be Viktor Orbán,’ Ciprian Rus, senator of the progressive Save Romania Union highlighted in a recent interview.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó was critical of his counterparts in other EU Member States for still pushing for arms supplies instead of negotiating a ceasefire, in a Facebook post he shared as he set off to attend the last EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting of the Hungarian EU presidency. Earlier, he also revealed in a radio interview that President Zelenksyy of Ukraine refused to have a phone conversation with PM Orbán.
A bomb threat was received by the Hungarian Embassy in Paris via email, Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó reported on his social media page on Saturday. While few details about the incident have been disclosed, initial indications suggest it may have been motivated by attempts to obstruct Hungary’s peace efforts in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin has reportedly endorsed the Christmas ceasefire proposal by Viktor Orbán. Reflecting on the peace mission and Hungary’s EU Presidency, the Hungarian prime minister stated: ‘We have opened the door, and meaningful negotiations can now begin.’
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.
