Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discussed with Czech journalists the possibility of him facing political assassination following the shooting of his close ally Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, saying that those on the side of peace are potentially in danger.
“When Robert Fico was shot, I thought of him. From then on, we prayed a lot for my friend’s recovery, but at that time I wondered whether he was a lone assassin or if some organization was behind the act,” said Orbán during his interview with Czech XTV, adding that “if it was an organization, then all of us who are now on the side of peace and arguing for peace are in greater danger.”
The Hungarian prime minister noted that many of the reactions were either subdued, made excuses for the killing, or were outright joyous.
“I’ve been watching the reactions ever since, and they worry us no less than the assassination itself; hate flows online without legal boundaries,” he said.
Orbán also pointed out that Hungary is “a free country, politicians can move freely, sometimes I drive my car myself. It is strange for us to feed the fear that an assassination may take place on a daily basis. Budapest is a safe city.”
In general, regarding potentially being assassinated, Orbán said: “I don’t think about it.”
Orbán has long faced various threats to his life, including being added to an ultra-nationalist Ukrainian kill list.
Fico, who was known for advocating an immediate ceasefire in the Russo-Ukrainian war, remains in serious condition, but has since been released from the hospital and is reportedly recovering at home. The international media spent little time on the story.
Despite the potential risks to Orbán, he says he will continue advocating for peace.
He told the Czech television channel that Europeans should not consider the Ukraine war as their own.
“Our job is not to get involved, to take a stand, to intervene, but instead we should isolate this war. This is what should have been done from the beginning, but the exact opposite has happened,” the prime minister stressed, adding that the war must not be allowed to escalate.
For Orbán, the key question is who should negotiate with Putin.
“The decisive negotiation will not be between Ukraine and Russia, but between the United States and Russia, which will not only bring the war to an end, but also establish a security regime,” he said.
He added that Ukraine is not an independent state, and if it did not receive funding from the United States and the European Union, it would not be able to continue the war.
“We need a person, in America but also in Europe, who is independent of the business groups that profit from war, who is not concerned with the prestige of his relationship with Putin, but whose decisions are guided solely by the interests of human life, peace and lasting security. I believe that President Trump will be such a president,” Orbán said.
Orbán added that he did not think Joe Biden was a bad man or that he wanted to do bad things. However, the United States is so deeply involved in the war that Biden is no longer capable of getting the U.S. out.
Orbán also warned that world war may be closer than we think.
“No world war has ever started with leaders standing up and saying that tomorrow morning it will be a world war,” the prime minister noted.
With regard to the functioning of the European Union, the prime minister said that Brussels is trying to impose its will on Hungary on a number of issues that Hungary does not want.
“They want to strangle Hungary financially,” Orbán said. He added that this is not only because of the war, but also because of migration and LGBTQ issues.
