At the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expressed his concern that ethnic Hungarians from the Zakarpattia region are joining the Ukrainian army and dying, stressing that he does not look at the war in Ukraine “through Kyiv’s glasses or Putin’s glasses”, but from the point of view of Hungary.

“I have to represent the interests of the country and my nation… when something is good for Hungarians, I will support it, and when something is bad, I will be against it,” he said, MTI quoted Agerpres as saying.

Orbán meant the ethnic Hungarian community of Transcarpathia, which has lived there for a thousand years and is now being recruited into the Ukrainian army.

“Hungarians are dying in the war in Ukraine,” Orbán said, adding that they belong to the Hungarian nation. Peace in Ukraine would ensure security for “Hungarian lives”, he noted. “This is one of the reasons, among others, why we, as Hungarians, are very committed to peace,” said the head of the Budapest government.

In his opinion, there will be a serious chance for peace only if former US President Donald Trump “can come back.” Orban stated that he is convinced that if he had been in office when the war in Ukraine began, “there would not be a war now.” The Prime Minister of Hungary has confirmed that he will meet with Donald Trump next week in Florida.

Asked if he saw Hungary’s future in the European Union, Orbán replied: “Of course, if you’re Hungarian, you’re European.” “Hungary will always occupy a special geopolitical place in the European Union.” However, he added that it is about how the European community wants to shape its future. Europe is now based on a progressive, liberal ideology. The concepts of nation and national pride are viewed with suspicion.

“Family values ​​are also not respected, because the family no longer exists in Europe,” the Hungarian official noted. The Prime Minister said the difference in opinion between the Liberals and the Conservatives was growing, but added that the current majority must recognize the existence of conflicting positions.

Answering the question about Hungary’s future presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of this year, Viktor Orbán said that among his priorities are the expansion of the EU at the expense of the Balkan region and the competitiveness of Europe.