"Hungarian conservatives are a savior in the increasingly crazy European world," says Hans-Georg Maaßen. According to the former head of the German secret service, the war in Ukraine is not our war, and we should strive towards a ceasefire.

Why did you come to Budapest this time?

In some ways, I consider myself a kind of political activist because I am concerned about the situation in Germany and Central Europe. I shouldn't express myself in political matters, but I do anyway, because I see that our situation is very difficult, and German politics makes a lot of mistakes. By the way, I think Budapest is a beautiful city that has changed a lot in the last ten years to its advantage. I met old colleagues and had political conversations with like-minded people. In relation to Fidesz and the Hungarian conservatives, I really have the impression that they are a kind of lifeline in this increasingly crazy European world, which has been flooded by woke ideology and the new socialism.

Did you also meet the Prime Minister?

No, I haven't met him.

However, recently in Berlin, he had the opportunity to collect personal impressions about it.

Yes, at a panel discussion . It was an interesting event in many ways. On the one hand, I was a little ashamed of the German journalists, who almost apologized for inviting Mr. Orbán - as if he was not a welcome guest. I must say that I was greatly influenced by the openness and directness with which Orbán answered all questions in a thoughtful and professional manner. He spoke from his heart to many, for example on the issue of sanctions, the ceasefire or the family. Family is a very important topic in Germany. However, he disappointed many in one respect: Orbán acted as Hungarian Prime Minister and not as the leader of the European conservatives, as many would like.

You like to speak plainly: you recently declared that the war in Ukraine is not our war.

Yes that is right.

Whose then?

I agree with Orbán on this issue. This is not a two-sided war, so it must be viewed in a global context. It is a proxy war between America and Russia.

It is also clear to me that the Americans do not want an armistice or negotiations for the time being. Unfortunately, this is our big problem, because we, along with the Ukrainians, are the biggest victims of this war. I find it particularly unfortunate that we Europeans blindly run after the Americans and that we do not have our own positions. We are not calling for a cease-fire, we are not saying that we expect the weapons to fall silent in your interests as well. Thousands of Ukrainians and Russians die every day, and we must strive for meaningful relations on the continent.

It is clear that the Americans have other interests. The Americans are our partners, maybe ninety percent of our interests coincide, but not now. As Europeans, we need to be much more self-aware and stronger, and I think it's a shame that Germany can't take on this role. We are a total failure.

So is the German government inciting the war? He recently accused Ursula von der Leyen of this as well.

It must be seen that the federal government is not a monolithic entity. I have the feeling that Mr. Scholz restrained himself in recent months and did not add fuel to the fire unnecessarily.

But the Greens are inciting, yes. They are the party that directly wants to continue fighting until the last Ukrainian dies. It used to be a pacifist party, today they refuse to even negotiate. Mrs. Baerbock [German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock - ed.] is our chief diplomat; his job is to get the parties to negotiate. We even negotiated with the Taliban and reached an agreement with them. We must also be able to negotiate with the Russians.

Read the full Mandiner article

Author: László Greczula Levente

Picture: Márton Ficsor