Hungarian Conservative

Viktor Orbán highlighted that the European Commission requested a pay raise for the Commissioners, while it wants to eliminate utility price reductions in Hungary. He believes this is so absurd that it leaves most EU leaders dumbfounded. The PM also voiced his suspicion that the funds due to Hungary may have ended up in Ukraine.

Although some celebrated Prigozhin’s mutiny as the weakening of Putin’s Russia, it is important to remember that Prigozhin would not have brought about a ‘better or more democratic Russia’, only an even bloodier war.

The PM drew attention to the fact that Hungary spends over two billion euros to protect the Schengen Zone from illegal immigrants. ‘We haven’t received a single cent from Brussels. Why should we pay more? We have to spend all our money on protecting the borders, protecting Europe and Germany,’ Orbán stated.

As concerns regarding Ukraine’s minority law continue to linger, FUEN President Loránt Vincze provides valuable insights into the Venice Commission’s recent findings and their implications for the fundamental rights of individuals belonging to ethnic minorities.

Tamás Deutsch, during a public radio interview, drew attention to the concerning fact that the EU has been sending billions of Euros in military aid to Ukraine despite its current budget having been approved in December 2020, over a year before the Russian invasion began. He also pointed out that the exact amount spent on aiding the Ukrainian war effort is not even known.

The Hungarian government has secured an exemption regarding the maintenance of Russian metro cars, allowing the sanctioned Moscow-based company to once again deliver parts to Budapest.

In addition to the French initiative, Hungary has also joined the German-initiated Sky Shield programme, which will further enhance its capabilities through joint procurement.

Minister Gulyás announced that the maximum amount of the childbirth incentive loan (Babaváró hitel) will increase to 11 million forints. This change will come into effect in 2024 and will apply to couples where the woman is under 30 years old. also announced that the food price caps will be extended for one more month, but they will be phased out as of August as they have fulfilled their purpose. Forecasts indicate that inflation is decreasing. At the same time, food retailers mandatory discounts will be increased from 10 to 15 per cent.

The Hungarian Defence Forces demand unwavering loyalty, exemplary behaviour worthy of their vocation, courageous commitment, high readiness, and discipline from the soldiers who perform active service, a statement from the Ministry of Defence wrote about the war-time increasement of training routines for active-duty soldiers.

The brand new edition of our magazine features articles by Hungarian MP and Fidesz party founder Zsolt Németh, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and Uppsala University professor Maria Engström; as well as an interview with N.S. Lyon, a Washington DC-based political analyst and author writing under a pseudonym. You can pick up the latest edition of Hungarian Conservative magazine at your local bookstore or newspaper stand; or, you can subscribe to our quarterly magazine on our website to make sure you never miss an issue.

Ukrainian representative Yuriy Kamelchuk demanded an explanation as to why Hungary had blocked the payment of the next instalment of military aid from the European Peace Facility (EPF) to Ukraine. In his reply, the Hungarian minister reminded that Ukraine has put the biggest Hungarian bank on their list of international sponsors of terrorism, suggesting that the Hungarian bank enables the Russian war machine. As soon as OTP is removed from that list, the minister declared, Hungary will reconsider its veto.

According to the prime minister, the ongoing conflict contains numerous unpredictable factors. In light of this, it is crucial for the organisations and leaders responsible for Hungary’s security to remain vigilant and prepared to take action whatever the circumstances might be.

A lot remains unknown about the release by Russia of the Hungarian Ukrainian soldiers, including the role that Metropolitan Hilarion played or what the exact status of the freed men is. One things is certain: human lives have been saved amidst the tragic conflict.

As reported by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the Action and Protection Foundation, through its Brussels Institute, recorded 37 antisemitic acts in Hungary in 2021. By comparison, in France there were 589 recorded antisemitic actions and threats in the 2021. In the same year, in Germany 3027 incidents were recorded. In addition, as highlighted by FRA, when looking at 2013–2021, the overall trend in Hungary was that the number of recorded antisemitic incidents was decreasing.

The Russian Orthodox Church announced that, at the request of Budapest, several Transcarpathian soldiers who were held as prisoners of war in Russia have been transported to Hungary.

The MCC Budapest Peace Forum featured 70 speakers, 35 foreign experts from 20 different countries. Academics, public figures, and famed experts all took a stand for the importance of peace, and shone a light on the consequences of war from the different aspects of their respective expertise.

According to Charap, as the dragging on of the war is not in the interest of either the West or Ukraine, there is need to look for another way of approaching the conflict. While an actual peace treaty between the two sides that invested so much into this conflict might look unlikely, negotiations are nevertheless possible—and the West should facilitate these negotiations.

During the meeting held at the Carmelite Monastery earlier today, Viktor Orbán emphasised that although a ceasefire and peace would be paramount, intense fighting erupted in the Russo-Ukrainian war on Wednesday night. The security of Hungary remains the top priority of the government, the Prime Minister stressed.

Katalin Novák highlighted the inexplicable, brutal, and tragic attacks on civilians in Ukraine. She recalled that she had expressed her personal sympathy to the Ukrainian people, as the majority of her foreign counterparts, during her previous visit to Ukraine.

I personally believe Putin would have invaded the Ukraine, as he did Crimea in 2014, whether he felt ‘provoked’ or not, especially after he lamented the peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 as ‘the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the [twentieth] century’. One can conclude that the former KGB colonel, with his reverie to rebuild the former Soviet empire, was looking for an excuse to do so. And the US-led West provided it to him.

It is high time to start building a close strategic partnership with the new member of the ‘Central European family’ that—as the only one of us—got a seat at the G7 table while it is fighting a heroic fight for freedom to regain its occupied territories: i.e., Ukraine.

Viktor Orbán explained why his politics will eventually be proven right: ‘We were the only ones who said that borders must be protected during the migration crisis. Later, more and more EU member states realised that we were right. The same will happen regarding the war’, he underlined.

PM Orbán must have ‘run into’ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the meeting, as some Hungarian media put it. However, conspicuously, Viktor Orbán did not post any photos of him and the Ukrainian leader to social media, as opposed to prominently featured pictures with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in a Facebook post. In fact, no formal meeting has been held between the two leaders since Zelenskyy entered office. Although Orbán has been invited to Kyiv, the Hungarian government has made it quite clear that the Hungarian PM will not be travelling to Ukraine unless the rights of the Hungarian minority in the country are restored.

Following the results of the 2022 parliamentary election, the American NGO Freedom House decided to downgrade Hungary’s controversial ‘democracy index’ from last year’s report. Meanwhile, Poland’s and Ukraine’s have been increased.

According to Brussels sources, the Hungarian government’s resistance was in connection with concerns over migration-related policies. However, it may be the case that the Hungarian veto is linked to the almost decade-long dispute with Oslo over the Norwegian Fund.

The Hungarian government blocking the latest round of sanctions comes only days after the Orbán administration vetoed the release of €500 million of military aid to Ukraine. The blacklisting of the Budapest-based OTP Bank by Ukrainian officials is behind both of these decisions.

When asked about the news that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen allegedly suggested stopping the Druzhba (Friendship) oil pipeline, the minister said the Hungarian government has received no explanation from Kyiv regarding the rumours, but in his opinion, this is a matter of such significance that the President of the European Commission should personally comment on it.

The Hungarian President emphasised at the HLM on the review of the Sendai Framework in New York that despite Hungary being rather small, it always rushes to the aid of countries in need.

The Hungarian government has vetoed the 11th EU sanctions package against Russia after it was revealed that Volodymyr Zelenskyy allegedly urged the bombing of the Druzhba pipeline, a crucial route via which Russian oil is transferred to Hungary.

The prime minister emphasised that whether there is the possibility of a military resolution or the need for ceasefire and peace negotiations, Hungary stands on the side of peace, therefore supports any plan that leads to it.