“This means that we will not give the Hungarians’ money to Ukraine. We will not participate in the war loan provided to Ukraine, nor will Hungary participate in the financial aid sent to Ukraine,” the prime minister told the assembled domestic and international media.
“We do not give or participate in war loans,” Orbán insisted, dismissing the EU’s proposed joint loan mechanism as fundamentally dishonest. “We are convinced that this is a scam. They call it a loan, but everyone knows that the Ukrainians will never pay it back. So, it would be more correct, more accurate, to call it aid.”
The PM reserved particular scorn for Ukraine’s request for USD 800 billion in reconstruction funding over the next decade. In a post on his Facebook page on Thursday, Jan. 8, Orbán described the figure as “terrifying,” noting that the amount represents “almost four times the annual GDP of Hungary” and equals “40 years of pension payments or 60 years of family benefits” for Hungarian citizens.
Just one day after Orbán’s press conference, the so-called “Coalition of the Willing,” some 35 countries led by the United Kingdom, France and Germany, convened in Paris along with U.S. envoys, and agreed to precisely what Orbán opposes: robust security guarantees for Ukraine, including potential European troop deployments and continued military support.
France and the United Kingdom went one step further, signing declarations of intent to “establish military hubs across Ukraine and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment to support Ukraine’s defensive needs,” as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced. French President Emmanuel Macron indicated Paris could contribute “several thousand” troops.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó replied that Hungary “firmly rejects this latest move towards war,” in a response posted on X (formerly Twitter), declaring that the Coalition of the Willing’s decisions “pushed Europe closer to a direct confrontation with Russia” and that Western European countries seeking a military presence in Ukraine are “creating the risk of a direct war with Russia.”
Escalating his rhetoric further, and speaking at the congress of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Union party on Sunday, Jan. 11, Szijjártó lambasted Europe’s two nuclear powers for their posturing.
“Last weekend, a statement was released in Paris announcing the two European nuclear powers’ decision to send their troops to Ukraine,” the foreign minister said. “Their goal, let us be clear, is to engulf all of Europe in flames.” Szijjártó continued that Fidesz intends to prevent such plans from being realized and would not allow the country to be drawn into a military conflict with Russia.
He claimed that EU officials consider Orbán “the greatest obstacle to realizing their intention” regarding Ukraine and expect him to be replaced with a leader who supports Ukraine in the upcoming election. His warning to Hungarian voters was explicit: “If we win the election, Hungary won’t enter the war. If we don’t win, Brussels and Kiev’s plan will be implemented.”
Meanwhile, anonymous sources have told Euronews that, to avoid being seen as interfering in the upcoming election campaign and giving ammunition to Orbán’s anti-EU rhetoric, the European Commission will freeze all major decisions on Hungary-related files until after the election, which President Tamás Sulyok has called for April 12.
The risk incumbent in this strategic silence, however, is that it would enable Fidesz’s “Brussels wants war” narrative to dominate the Hungarian information space unchallenged.
State news agency MTI has reported on Monday, Jan. 12, that the Rákóczi Association has launched its annual winter camps in Sátoraljaújhely, 259 km northeast of Budapest by road, close to the borders with Slovakia and Ukraine, expecting to host 800 Hungarian and Ukrainian students from Transcarpathia over five weeks between now and Friday, Feb. 13.
The camps aim to provide relaxation, enriching experiences, and a sense of community for young people, offering a respite from the daily hardships of war. Activities include sports, excursions, theater, mental-health workshops, and faith-based programs, according to the association.
Participants hail from Berehove, Mukachevo, Uzhhorod, the Upper Tisza region, and Vynohradiv districts, all in Western Ukraine. The camps are supported by the Prime Minister’s Office and the MOL New Europe Foundation.
While the numbers are nowhere close to their peaks at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, traffic across the border into Hungary continues. At the time of writing, the latest figures published by state news agency MTI were from Tuesday, Jan. 13. These said 2,296 Ukrainian citizens had crossed into Hungary on that day, according to the national police headquarters (ORFK). Temporary residence permits valid for 30 days were issued to 17 people. The day before, 4,067 Ukrainians came over, with police issuing temporary residence permits to 28 people, ORFK said. For the whole of the previous week (Jan. 5-11), the total was 32,542 (with a peak of 5,993 on Jan. 5), and 395 temporary residence permits were issued.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of January 16, 2026.
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