In speech, Orbán hails Trump victory and declares Brussels his key adversary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivered his annual State of the Nation speech today in which he declared the Trump administration an inspiration for Hungary, the war in Ukraine nearly at its end, and Brussels the only enemy left for his country.

In the speech in Budapest today, Orbán called US President Donald Trump “our comrade-in-arm” and attacked what he claimed the “double standards” of EU politicians.

Ukraine, a “buffer zone” between NATO and Russia 

Orbán placed his trust in Trump's push for a peace deal with Russia, and said that with the war in Ukraine now concluding, the issue is now what comes afterwards – and the question, as he put it, of the “territory” of Ukraine, as a “buffer zone ” between NATO and Russia.

The European Union and American liberals would be foolish to believe that Russia would ideally sit back if Ukraine tried to join to NATO, Orbán said. Instead, he said, Ukraine would once again become a “buffer zone”.

He also asserted that Hungary would vehemently oppose EU membership for Ukraine either if joining could harm Hungarian farmers and businesses. "Ukraine will not join NATO, and whether it joins the EU is up to us," he declared.

Trump – an ally, but not a saviour 

The new Trump government in Washington, meanwhile, had exposed a vast, corrupt system funding political influence across the West, according to Orbán.

"The Americans have thrown the skeletons out of the closet," Orbán said, claiming that billions from the US budget had been funnelled to "pseudo-NGOs, bought journalists, judges, prosecutors, politicians, foundations, bureaucrats – an entire machine that operates the liberal opinion dictatorship and political oppression in the Western world, including Hungary".

Five “big battles” from Brussels bureaucrats 

Even though Orbán hailed gains by the Patriots for Europe in last year's the European Parliament elections, which saw far-right parties gain ground in much of the bloc, Orbán nonetheless contended that "talk of patriotism" in Brussels still requires a lot of courage. But after a difficult year for Hungary, Trump's election and other victory for right-wing forces mean that today, according to Orbán, half the world was knocking on Hungary's doors.

Orbán mapped out what he described as four more big battles he's prepared to wage in Brussels and against EU stances, in addition to his stance toward Ukraine.

He said that Hungary will not support the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, and expects support on that front from the Netherlands, Poland and Italy. Second, he vowed to put forward a constitutional amendment explicitly defining gender as male and female, and told LGBT activists and organisers not to bother preparing for Pride events in Hungary this year, which he called a "pointless endeavour".

He said he'd fight to defend Hungary's current pension laws, claiming the EU was pushing reforms to "give money to big multinational firms." And he also vowed to oppose EU tariff policies that could deter foreign investment in factories and jobs in Hungary.

In the speech, Orbán also pledged new income tax exemptions on child benefits and childcare allowances for Hungarian families, and proposed allowing the government to impose food price caps on basic supermarket food products like fruits and vegetables in a bid to curb inflation.

Hungary's next election for the National Assembly elections is scheduled for April 2026.

[BTS]