At the beginning of this afternoon's international press conference, the Prime Minister spoke about the fact that it is in our country's interest to have a cease-fire between the Russians and the Ukrainians as soon as possible. The prime minister also touched on the evaluation of the election result, saying that since the change of regime, no political force has been able to win such a big victory in Hungary. The government's visions for the future remain unchanged, protecting families from rising energy prices remains a priority. From a European perspective, it continues to think about nation-state existence and solutions, because although the problems are global, the effective answers to them are local, at the nation-state level.

Evaluating the elections, he pointed out that, in his opinion, the huge victory can be traced back to three reasons:

  • Hungarians want peace, and since there is a war going on next door, they voted for the one who guarantees peace. The prime minister noted that he and the French and German leaders also tried to fulfill a peace mission.
  • According to the prime minister, the second condition is that our country is a successful country. If you look at the facts and not through an ideological lens, you will see that two countries, Hungary and Poland, are the most successful.
  • And the third circumstance depended on the opponent. It was a "power only" coalition, a contempt for the electorate. They were only interested in the construction in which they would gain power, this is disrespectful to the voters. And the most serious disdain of the voters was that they wanted to represent fascists and communists as well. The government parties' vision of our country and Europe remains unchanged. We believe in nation-states and believe that it will have a renaissance throughout Europe.

We believe that there will be a renaissance of the national idea throughout Europe, Viktor Orbán said. We still believe in nation states. We are strengthening our alliances, such as the alliance with the European Union and the alliance with NATO.

This is how high energy prices can be reduced

In connection with the high energy prices, the prime minister said that intensive measures are needed. All administrative regulations regarding energy must be suspended, the ETS system must be suspended, the connection between electricity and gas prices must be suspended, and the mandatory blending of biofuels must be suspended. If we exceed this, then European energy prices can be reduced, he added.

The prime minister also held talks with Putin

I spoke with President Putin today, Viktor Orbán said. He suggested that the Russian president declare a ceasefire. "I know that this will not happen by itself, and I suggested that he come to Budapest and negotiate with the Ukrainian president, the French president, and the German chancellor," said the prime minister. The prime minister said that according to the Russian president, there are conditions for this, which the Russian and Ukrainian presidents must agree on.

There are 200,000 Hungarians in Ukraine, we are responsible for their lives, and the danger can only be avoided if we stay out of the war, added the Hungarian Prime Minister.

***

Answering a question, Viktor Orbán said that a possible new European party alliance could be discussed after the French election. All neighboring countries congratulated Fidesz on its election victory, he added.

"It is not difficult to pay in rubles"

There is no difficulty in paying in rubles, said the Prime Minister in response to another question. 

Energy penalty

For now, the issue of nuclear energy is not on a single sanctions list, said the Prime Minister in response to another question. There have been many attacks on the investment in Paks, and this is causing great damage to us. If these attacks had not happened, the power plant would have been operational in 2023.

Arms transport, gender issue

We will not allow weapons delivery or gender issues, and we will not support the extension of sanctions on Russian gas and oil, he said. The biggest problem is the issue of gender and war sanctions.

The Liget project is realized

The Liget project will be implemented as planned - said the prime minister in response to a question about the possible relationship between the capital and the government.

Financial stability is not opposed to growth

Financial stability is not opposed to growth, he said to another question. Hungarian growth must exceed the EU average, he added. Viktor Orbán stated that the goal remains that families with children do not live worse than those without children. I saw someone change his policy after the election, but it ended badly, he added.

We must stick to the programs that we announced earlier, and we must stay on the side of the people," underlined the Prime Minister.

 "Ukrainians are good soldiers"

When asked, Viktor Orbán said that the Ukrainians were attacked and were defending their country. This is not a surprise to me, the Ukrainians are good soldiers. Since there is a war, I do not want to discuss at length that the Hungarians have been hurt a lot in recent years, said the Prime Minister. The Ukrainians are in the greatest trouble, and we are really threatened by the arrival of many Hungarians from Transcarpathia.

On measures to limit price increases

In response to a question, Viktor Orbán said: We want to maintain the measures limiting price increases for as long as possible, this needs to be discussed.

There will be a new government by the end of May

The formation of a government will not be quick, because people and structures must be created alongside the big issues of the future. There will be a new government by the end of May , the prime minister said. When asked by Viktor Orbán, he said that it is not impossible for János Lázár to return to the government.

What will happen to teachers' salary increases?

What we have undertaken must be done, in the coming years there will be 10 percent salary increases for teachers, if the economy allows, they can be even higher, the Prime Minister reminded.

About EU subsidies

If it is possible to achieve the Hungarian proposals in the field of energy in the union, then the overhead reduction can be maintained, said the Prime Minister in response to another question. In 2021, a record amount of EU funds arrived in Hungary. The RFF has a dispute with the union, he added. The budget pre-financed its RFF programs. The problem is that some countries did not have access to the RFF, which distorts the competition, he added. Viktor Orbán announced that the country's economy is in a stable state and that it is able to access funds on the international financial markets.

About the result of the referendum

There is a very clear political obligation in connection with the referendum, because never before have so many people voted in one direction, and no issue has ever been given such authority, the prime minister said in response to another question.

According to Viktor Orbán, separating the minimum wage from wages is a necessary thing. He would not hope for a salary increase for teachers, but because the government has the insight that salaries are really low, he said in response to another question.

We did not contract our entire needs in the gas contract

In response to another question, Viktor Orbán said that the price in the current Russian gas contract is more favorable than the previous one. The purpose of long-term contracts is to have it even when there is nowhere else. According to the prime minister, there will not be enough gas on the market over time, and that is why a long-term contract is important.

What about Chinese relations?

There is a great danger that the Russian-Western conflict could also negatively affect Chinese relations, but action must be taken against this, said the Prime Minister in response to another question.

About tax increases

We will not introduce taxes burdening people - the prime minister stated in response to a question.

Sources: Mandiner and Origo

Image: Youtube