Orban noted that “Ukraine can only be independent and sovereign if its territorial integrity is preserved.” However, he added that in the first place There must be a cease-fire and peace negotiations led by the United States and Russia.
As the Prime Minister said, visiting Ukraine is not among his plans for the next year. He also repeated it The government in Budapest does not intend to send weapons to Ukraine Nor the financing of military equipment for Kiev. He added that Hungary agreed to EU aid to Ukraine in the amount of 18 billion euros, because “they were on their own.”
Orban noted that “there is a well-established, historical, and very valuable Polish-Hungarian common destiny.” However, the Hungarian approach to the war in Ukraine differs greatly from the Polish one. – Ukraine does not defend Hungary, and the security of Hungary is not guaranteed by Ukraine, but only by NATO. In this sense, the outcome of the war in Ukraine has no impact on the security of our country – added.
The Prime Minister indicated that the energy issue could be a priority for the Visegrad Group (V4). – The problem is that energy today is also being approached from the perspective of sanctions, – he added.
– Hungary is not isolated because it participates in important decisions, but we disagree with others on many issues Orban said while answering reporters’ questions. At the same time, he confirmed it Do not want to give up cooperation with Russiaand to separate Europe from the Russian economy is not in the Hungarian national interest.
“If we have Pac-2 (the new units of the Pak nuclear power plant built by Rosatom), we can reduce gas consumption on a large scale. Nuclear power cannot be included in the sanctions list,” Orban said. added.
He also referred to the transmission of green electricity from Azerbaijan to Hungary via Georgia and Romania using a cable under the Black Sea. The investment, for which an agreement was recently signed in Bucharest, is scheduled to be completed by 2026-2027.
Asked about inflation and the recent criticism of the government’s actions by the head of the Hungarian National Bank (MNB), Orbán said he “understands the head of the Hungarian National Bank, who has not been in such a difficult situation for a long time, that inflation is still the responsibility of the central bank.” He added that there are several reasons for the record inflation in Hungary and the highest in the European Union, for example the country’s high public debt or the exchange rate of the forint. But the most important reason, according to Orban, is the sanctions, without which inflation will drop in half.
The government is not considering obtaining a loan from the International Monetary FundBecause it considers it an “independence issue”. And Orban considers reaching an agreement with the European Union on the Hungarian Workers’ Party an achievement, while criticizing the corruption situation in the European Parliament, which, according to him, affects the credibility of European politicians.
The prime minister also mentioned the possible introduction of the euro in Hungary. – If the Hungarian economy wants to grow and catch up, it must stay out of the eurozone; Orban indicated that if stability is more important, then it should join.
“2022 was the most difficult year for Hungary since the fall of communism,” Orban said. He also set several goals for the next year, incl Stay out of war and economic recession in EuropeAnd reduce inflation to single digits. Among the government’s greatest achievements in the outgoing year, the head of the Hungarian government mentioned staying out of the war in Ukraine, ensuring the country’s energy supply, and fighting illegal immigration.
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