Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán announced on Wednesday that his government is launching a national petition against what he described as a “Brussels war plan” to finance support for Ukraine.
The announcement was made in a video posted on Facebook following a cabinet meeting, during which EU affairs minister János Bóka briefed ministers on the European Commission’s latest proposals.
According to Orbán, Ukraine is seeking around $800 billion from Europe over the next ten years, a cost he says Brussels intends to pass on to EU member states, including Hungary.
“We must reject Brussels’ demands,” Orbán said. “We do not want to pay for the war, we do not want to cover Ukraine’s household expenses, and we do not want to pay the higher energy prices caused by the conflict.”
In a separate post on X, Orbán accused the European Commission of pressing ahead with plans to finance Ukraine despite the outcome of the December EU summit and what he described as Europe’s worsening financial situation. He said Brussels was clinging to “daydreams” about Russian reparations while committing itself to continued war financing and unconditional support for Kyiv.
“They remain committed to a path of war,” Orbán wrote. “In Europe, there are hardly any governments left that are able to go against them. Hungary is the exception.”
Orbán argued that accepting Brussels’ proposals would mean the next decade would be dominated not by support for Hungarian families, but by what he called a “war levy.” He said the petition would give citizens a direct say in opposing the funding plans and reaffirm Hungary’s refusal to be drawn into financing the conflict.
“Decisions about war, peace, and our future must be made with the support and involvement of our people,” Orbán said. “This is how we will make Hungary’s position clear to Europe and to the world.”
