Orbán – “We will not allow ourselves to be drawn into war” – 2024-05-10 05:53:43

Orbán im Kossuth-Radio

Written by Rainer Ackermann

“The European elections will decide how many votes the war camp gets and how many votes the peace camp gets.” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gave this assessment on Friday in the usual interview for Kossuth Radio.

In Hungary the situation is as clear as day: “Those who are for peace vote for Fidesz, those who support war vote for the left,” said Orbán. By embarking on the war path, Europe is playing with fire. For more than two years, leading European politicians, driven by a war psychosis, have been puzzling over war strategies and sanctions.

NATO baptism of fire in 1999

“We Hungarians experienced the Yugoslavia war first hand. We know what it means when something like this happens right on your doorstep. That’s why we can’t share the attitude of those who treat the war like a topic for followingnoon tea.” The Prime Minister sees concrete intentions behind statements like those made by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell or Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski. (Borrell said that an all-out war in Europe might no longer be ruled out; Sikorski emphasized that there was no diplomatic solution, only brute military force might bring regarding a solution.)

Orbán: “Hungary has learned from two world wars”

Viktor Orbán recalled that Hungary received its “baptism of fire” immediately following joining NATO in 1999. When NATO decided to attack Serbia, the country made military bases available for the air missions. “At that time, the Americans formulated concrete plans to open a second front on the Hungarian border with Serbia. “However, I rejected these plans, so we managed to keep Hungary out of the war as best as possible,” the Prime Minister said, looking back.

Even if the dimensions of the conflict at that time cannot be compared with the war in Ukraine, the flow of refugees still presented Hungary and especially the Pécs region with major challenges. Orbán noted that Hungary had learned from two world wars, for which this people had to pay a particularly high price. “We will not allow Hungary to be drawn into a world war for a third time, for which we will have to pay in the end.” Europe needs a security architecture that includes Russia.