Hungarian interests must come first in Ukraine refugee aid – PM Orban

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has stressed the importance of not providing more aid to refugees from Ukraine than unemployed Hungarian citizens receive, in order to safeguard the interests of Hungarians.

"There is no such thing as free money. So if a Hungarian receives unemployment benefits for three months and then has to participate in community service, then, my dear Ukrainian friend, you can also only receive as much as we have," Orban said in a video message posted on X on Wednesday.

He also noted that if a country is attacked, as happened to Ukraine, "then if you can, you must help."

"Tens of thousands of refugees began to leave there every day, we accepted them all, we helped them all. And today there are tens of thousands of Ukrainians in Hungary. Yes, it is true that we are the only country that said that you can only receive as much assistance from the state as a Hungarian receives," Orban said.

In a comment to the video address, he added that "we have provided assistance to thousands of those in need and continue to do so today."

"Our duty is clear: to provide assistance, but never to compromise the interests of Hungarians. This is a balance that we must maintain," Orban said.

In 2023, 34,300 thousand Ukrainian refugees were registered in Hungary, in 2024 their number decreased to 31,000.