PM Orbán: pre-war Ukraine was already a dysfunctional state

Orbán told public broadcaster Kossuth Rádió yesterday that Ukraine was a dysfunctional state, unable to run its economy already before the war, 444.hu wrote. Therefore, he said, Ukraine would need around 5 billion euros a month to avoid a collapse, adding that the question was who would give them this money.

Talks are ongoing about how the burden should be shared by Europe and the United States, he said. The discussions are also focused on how the burdens should be distributed among EU member states if Europe contributes to aiding Ukraine and whether even everyone wants to contribute, he added.

Hungary will have to decide whether to participate in that process, Orbán said. Hungary is facing difficult decisions, including “whether we have money to give to the Ukrainians, and in what form we should give it: together with the others, separately, as a donation or a loan”, he said. This will only become clear over the next two to three months of EU talks, he added.

There is a “temporary lull” in the growth of gas prices, after European reserves have been refilled over the summer, Hungary’s prime minister added. Prices are expected to grow again as EU countries start to use their reserves in the winter, he said.

Hungary has concluded long-term contracts with Russia to ensure gas supplies, he said. Although the NordStream pipeline “was ruined by terrorist attacks”, the pipeline arriving in Europe via Turkey is still intact, “and Hungary won’t allow anyone to ruin this pipeline.”