Only Russia is responsible for the war – Gulyás

The Hungarian Defence Council met on Tuesday evening, immediately following the missile that hit the Polish town of Przewodów near the Ukrainian border, and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called a government meeting “to evaluate the latest events in the Russian-Ukrainian war” for the next morning.

The Minister at the Prime Minister's Office called a press conference immediately afterwards on Wednesday. Here is a summary of the most important subjects discussed.

The missile in Poland

Gergely Gulyás first spoke about the missile that hit Poland yesterday: according to his information, a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile could have struck the country.

"The hours during which many people suspected an attack against Poland reinforce the importance of a ceasefire as soon as possible",

the Minister at the Prime Minister's Office said.

He added that the Hungarian government continues to consider NATO's core articles binding and also said that throughout its meeting, Hungary's Defence Council was in contact with NATO officials, including Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Polish Prime Minister.

Only Russia is responsible for the war, if there was no war, there would have been no missile strike in Poland

- he said in response to a question from ATV, adding that "the Ukrainians are responsible for the fact that the Ukrainian president did not act responsibly and immediately accused the Russians of something they had done".

Will there be a Hungarian state visit to Ukraine?

There will be an official state visit to Ukraine, but Gulyás did not disclose when and who would travel for security reasons. All foreign countries communicate about a visit to Ukraine after the fact, he said in response to a question from RTL.

On press freedom in Hungary

According to Gulyás, what the media outlets linked to the government write is not up to the government, so if a pro-Russian narrative appears there, it is not in their purview.

"The press is free, so journalists don't consult with me before writing."

Gulyás also added that they have no say in what is written by KESMA-affiliated press outlets, so the government does not feel responsible for a pro-Russian narrative potentially being spread there. "If anyone writes that Ukraine has attacked Russia, that's nonsense." He believes that one should not look at the world via narratives.

Telex asked whether the government is satisfied with the situation of the Hungarian press, to which Gulyás responded by saying that the government has no opinion on this. He personally is not satisfied because the language of some in the press is harsh, but in many ways it is freer than in other countries.

The gasoline price cap has been successful

Gulyás said the gasoline price freeze introduced a year ago has worked, as the goal was to help families. It is a significant success that in all of Europe, Hungarian families pay the least for petrol, which has also reduced inflation. In areas where necessary, the price cap has already been lifted, he added.

Why did the government wait 5 days to announce the resignation of László Palkovics?

Gulyás explained that the creation of the new ministry and Palkovics' resignation were announced at the same time because the new ministry's competences had to be worked out. As energy policy is one of the more important areas, a structural reorganisation within the government was needed, and Palkovics was not willing to continue leading the Ministry of Technology and Industry with his purview cut.