Erste Bank, Shell react to Orbán calling them 'tax collectors of death'

Shell, Erste Bank, and Brussels have formed a war alliance; they are the ones profiting from the bloodshed in Ukraine, according to Viktor Orbán. In his annual state of the nation address, the Hungarian Prime Minister called them the tax collectors of death and the dogs of war. He said that Erste Bank does not care that 400,000 people are dying and becoming disabled each year “as long as the cash keeps rolling in.”

We reached out to both companies about Orbán's statements, and Erste Bank answered as follows:

“Opposing all war and violence is a basic principle of Erste Bank Hungary Zrt. The bank never participates in political campaigns in any form, and it complies with all laws and regulations pertaining to its activities.”

“In accordance with Shell's global policy, we do not comment on matters of party politics," was the answer sent to us from the energy giant’s press office.

In his speech on Saturday, the Hungarian Prime Minister also claimed that Shell and Erste Bank are behind the Tisza Party. According to Orbán, Shell is the main beneficiary of the war in Ukraine and the company's goal is to cut Hungary off from cheap gas, without regard for how this would impact Hungarian households.

This is in stark contrast to how the Hungarian government spoke about Shell not too long ago. As recently as September 2025, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó issued a statement announcing that Hungary had signed a long-term natural gas purchase agreement with Shell. At the time, he noted that Shell had been operating in Hungary for 100 years and had proven to be a reliable partner.

Although the Prime Minister did not mention him by name, the governing party’s sudden change of heart may be connected to the Tisza Party’s January announcement that István Kapitány, Shell's former global executive vice president, had joined Fidesz’s challenger as head of economic development and energy.