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Viktor Orbán was a guest of Kossuth Radio on Friday morning, giving his usual weekly interview on domestic and foreign issues. He talked about former Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, the newly elected Pope, and why he fired the former Chief of Staff of the Defense Forces.
On Thursday, the Tisza Party released an audio recording that they considered to be revealing, in which the Defense Minister could be heard talking about the need to create a powerful army. In response, the Prime Minister said that in case of trouble, the country must be defended, and that fighters are needed, an army that is ready and able to fight for Hungary’s independence. He added that, in his opinion, peace requires strength, and that this is the official position.
What bothers me more is the role of the former chief of staff in this farce. I dismissed him without giving a detailed reason, as it is not necessary; the army should be outside party politics.
The constitutional system is also based on this,” explained Mr. Orbán.
Regarding Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, the former chief of staff, the Prime Minister also noted that “I regret that he entered the political arena; I thought he would hide in shame. Because when a general uses public money to have a liposuction, he disappears. Instead, he has entered the political arena. I do not think this is right; it is a sad story.”
“I follow events in the Vatican for two reasons. On the one hand, the Vatican is a state, part of international diplomatic life, but it is led by a man of God, which makes it a unique state. It deserves double attention because of the messages that come from there. On the other hand, I also follow it as a believer,” Mr. Orbán explained.
He added that…he…will likely continue the work of Pope Francis, therefore Viktor Orbán does not expect any major changes. He said that everyone in Hungary needs a spiritual leader, and in his opinion, it matters to Catholics and Protestants alike who the pope is, because “the Calvinist brothers and sisters also need moral guidance in this world.”
Habemus Papam! A new hope.
God bless Pope Leo XIV. ️— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) May 8, 2025
“We have been facing a major dilemma for years. Hungary has been hit by a huge war-induced inflation shock. (…) We are trying to bring prices back down to earth. Price increases are unjustified in quite a few areas. Hungarian families are being fleeced,” the Prime Minister stated. He added that this cannot be allowed to happen.
“That is why we have to intervene in the pricing system. If there were no external inflationary shock and retailers were moderate, there would be no need to intervene, but in many European countries it was necessary,” he pointed out. As he put it, it is difficult to intervene effectively, and if it is not done well, families will not be better off. He noted that the decision to regulate profit margins was made after lengthy experimentation. “Our measures have brought about change, prices have changed. But families are also being hit hard by the spiraling prices of household goods. That is why we have regulated profit margins on thousands of products,” the Prime Minister explained.
Commenting on Ursula von der Leyen’s statements on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, Orbán said that in his opinion, the political decision had been made against Hungary. He noted that the Hungarian government does not support accelerated accession. He recalled that two important speeches had been made in the European Parliament. He referred to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico as saying that Ukraine’s accession to the EU would be economic suicide.
Hungarians hope and are working for peace, because then the sanctions can be lifted, energy will become cheaper, and the economy will gain momentum. But the EU moves in the opposite direction,”
he stated. Mr. Orbán added that there are two camps in Hungary on this issue, pointing out that two opposition parties, Tisza and the Democratic Coalition, are on the wrong side.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the government has made enormous efforts to ensure that despite sanctions against Russian energy, Hungarians pay the second cheapest energy prices, and this is true for both gas and electricity. “Our utility bills are far below those of other countries,” he underlined. “If energy prices are raised, and they will rise because Russian gas will be banned, because that is their intention, then Hungary will have to pay HUF 800 billion (EUR 2 billion) more for energy purchased from abroad,” Mr. Orbán pointed out.
The accelerated accession plan could even be adopted by a qualified majority, about which the Prime Minister said: “I believe that Hungary will face serious struggles in the coming months.
We must fight for Hungarian households so that they do not have to pay twice as much. We already have a plan. We need to find allies.”
Regarding the European People’s Party (EPP), Mr. Orbán said that he knows it from the inside. “I know how it works, there is no fairy tale. We left because they wanted to force the Brussels position on us on the issue of migration,” he explained, adding that in his opinion, anyone in the EPP represents a pro-war position.
Featured photo via MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Fõosztály/Benko Vivien Cher
