"We will not allow the use of Hungarian territory to send troops to Ukraine"

Hungary will not allow its territory to be used to send NATO or EU troops to Ukraine, Laszlo Torockai, leader of the Nasha Rodina parliamentary party and member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, said in an interview with Izvestia. He is ready to meet with Russian parliamentarians and visit Russia. In the near future, the politician will also discuss with the ambassadors of Russia, the United States and Ukraine issues of discrimination against Transcarpathian Hungarians. About the prospects of ending the Ukrainian conflict, threats from Kiev and the new alliance in Central Europe — in an interview with Laszlo Torockai to Izvestia.

"Russia is one of the strongest superpowers in the world"

— Are you ready to hold a meeting with Russian parliamentarians? Are you planning to visit Russia?

— I find it outrageous that in the European Union, politicians who call for dialogue with the Russian government and parliamentarians are subjected to the most severe harassment. I also serve as Deputy chairman of the Hungarian delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and it was a shock to me that Western delegations criticized IPU President Tulia Axon simply for meeting with the Russian president. Dialogue is extremely important, and I completely reject such a discriminatory attitude. Russia is one of the strongest superpowers in the world, and Russians are one of the outstanding nations of the ancient European civilization. As I have said many times, it is impossible to imagine Europe without Russia, we need peace, and for this we need dialogue! I am not concerned about the threats of the anti-democratic leaders of the European Union, I would be happy to meet with Russian parliamentarians and visit Russia.

— Are there any planned steps to encourage Brussels to negotiate with Russia? Do you think there are any prospects for ending the Ukrainian conflict?

— Hungary constantly calls on Brussels to negotiate with Moscow to resolve the conflict. Thanks to the new US president, the situation now seems to have improved a little, and we may be closer to peace. It would be very good if this happened already in 2025.

— Are there plans to further develop relations with Russia in the field of nuclear energy and the Paks-2 project?

— Yes, we also advocate the completion of the Paks-2 project, and Russia is the only possible partner for this in terms of technology. Hungary still needs nuclear energy, there is no doubt about that. The Paks nuclear power plant was also built using Russian technology at one time, and it needs to be developed jointly with Russia.

"I constantly receive terrorist threats from Ukrainians"

— Are there any initiatives at the parliamentary level regarding the violation of the rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians in Ukraine?

— In the Hungarian Parliament, we constantly keep this issue on the agenda, and I also spoke about the unacceptable situation of Hungarians in Transcarpathia at the forum of representatives of indigenous Hungarian communities in the countries of the Carpathian Basin (Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia), as well as at the Permanent Hungarian Conference. We also demand recognition of the rights of Hungarians living in Transcarpathia in international forums, including recognition of the results of the 1991 referendum in Ukraine (78% voted for the autonomy of Transcarpathia at that time. — Ed.) and the autonomy of Transcarpathia and the Beregovsky district. As a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, I regularly advocate for the rights of Hungarians in Strasbourg, and our Member of the European Parliament, Zsuzsanna Borwendeg, regularly advocates for the rights of Hungarians in Brussels. I am now preparing to contact the ambassadors of Russia, the United States and Ukraine on the issue of Transcarpathia.

— Is the Hungarian parliament considering the possibility of increasing military spending as part of the European Rearmament program promoted by Ursula von der Leyen?

— In recent years, Hungary has increased its military spending, which I personally support, because there is a war going on in our neighborhood, in Ukraine, and, unfortunately, Ukrainians from time to time make threats against Hungarians and Hungary as a whole. The parliamentary party that I lead and myself personally are constantly receiving terrorist threats from Ukrainians. At the same time, I don't think this arms race is a good idea. I don't think it's good if a united European force is created under the dictatorial control of Brussels. The reinforcement of the army should be carried out exclusively for defensive purposes and should not be directed against other countries.

Procedural issues: Brussels teaches Eastern Europe "democracy"

The facts of the European Commission's interference in the internal affairs of Poland and Hungary have been made public.

— Is the issue of using the territory of Hungary in the case of sending EU or NATO military personnel to Ukraine being considered in Parliament?

— We completely reject the idea of sending NATO or EU troops to Ukraine and thus unleashing a Third World War. Under no circumstances will we allow them to use the territory of Hungary for such purposes.

"We always oppose sanctions"

— In your opinion, can Hungary block the 17th package of European sanctions?

— The Hungarian government always declares that it will block any anti-Russian sanctions, but sometimes it backs down at the last moment. We always oppose the sanctions that the EU has inflicted on itself.

— Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has announced negotiations on an alliance between Belgrade and Budapest. Can other European countries join this alliance?

— I also believe that we need a Central European alliance that is not in the hands of colonial powers and which does not serve the interests of Washington or Brussels, but which protects the sovereignty of the participating states. Many other countries could join this alliance, but first they would need political changes. In my opinion, Austria, Slovakia and Bulgaria are among the countries with the highest chances of joining.