Orbán calls for improving relations with Russia

In an interview published on March 25 on the X platform, Viktor Orbán shared his views on the future of Central Europe. “I am full of optimism when it comes to Central Europe: the Baltic states, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia. This part of Europe is strong—mentally as well. The energy is still here. (…) In ten years, Central Europe will be the most significant. We will also respond better to US policy. We just need to reorganise our relationship with Russia. Some countries in the region still don’t understand that without relations and business with Russia, we won’t succeed. (…) If we manage to act rationally in this matter, the future of Central Europe will be bright. (…) The Russians will achieve their war objectives, so the only open question is how we will respond to that.”

Viktor Orbán criticised Western elites, claiming they are “tired, bored, and out of ideas.” The prime minister argued that Donald Trump should be the alternative for Central Europe. “We won’t change the United States or the fact that it acts in its own interests. European moralising is embarrassing. It only serves to make liberal intellectuals in Brussels feel better. It was also a mistake to mock Trump. Even if he is an individualist without a traditional political background, you cannot behave that way. That was the will of the American people, and it should have been respected—but they didn’t.”

According to the Hungarian prime minister, the war in the Middle East is a consequence of a “new world order.” He supports Trump’s aggressive policy. “Previously, acting based on national interest was not so common. But this whole liberal, globalist approach is over. Now, what matters are the great powers acting in their own interests—and that’s exactly what the United States is doing now.” He considers the attack on Iran a strike at the heart of an “anti-Semitic and anti-freedom network.”

It is true that on the international stage, power is what matters most. However, Viktor Orbán misrepresents many issues. He accuses Europe of “moralising” and “burning bridges” with Donald Trump, while it was the American president himself who began pursuing an aggressive policy toward the European Union during his second term. One need only recall his territorial claims regarding Greenland and the imposition of tariffs on European trade partners. The Hungarian prime minister is entirely mistaken about the need to reorganise relations with the Russian Federation. The past four years have shown that Europe is capable of functioning without support from Russia. Hungary, however, has not chosen to change its policy and is now a hostage to the economic agreements signed with Russia during Orbán’s second term. Parliamentary elections in Hungary are scheduled for April 12. Polls show Viktor Orbán’s party significantly trailing the opposition. Should there be a change of power in Hungary, there is a strong likelihood that the country’s policy toward Russia will also shift.