Péter Magyar indicated in an interview with the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that he may meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brussels as early as this week. The prime minister described the complete rewriting of the constitution as one of his government's most important tasks.
In a post published on his Facebook page alongside the interview, the prime minister wrote that he had given the first and likely last interview of his life at the Karmelita Palace — to the daily newspaper with the most subscribers in Finland and the Scandinavian region.
“Those who actually have a scheduled appointment do get an interview…” the prime minister remarked, alluding to his recent dispute with Norwegian public media.
In the article published in the Finnish newspaper — an unofficial Hungarian translation of which was sent to MTI by the Government Communication office on Sunday — the author described Péter Magyar’s spring political performance as “quite remarkable” and wrote that the Tisza Party is now dismantling former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s “autocratic system” step by step.
The piece reveals that the interview, set within a 10-minute time frame, was conducted this week, following “a press conference on abuses against children.”
On the restoration of democracy, Péter Magyar emphasised:
The Hungarian people have had enough of corruption, lies, and propaganda. He expressed pride that the government had succeeded in reaching a political agreement with the European Union. On the subject of EU funds, the prime minister noted that this money belongs to the Hungarian people.
Regarding concerns that he might resort to authoritarian methods over time, with Tisza Párt holding a two-thirds parliamentary majority behind him, Péter Magyar said he had better things to do. “For instance, I could spend time with my three children,” he said.
He added that his government began its work by limiting its own power. As a first measure, they enshrined in the constitution that the prime minister may hold office for a maximum of two terms, that is, eight years.
Péter Magyar also indicated that one of the government’s most important tasks will be a complete rewrite of the constitution, which he estimates will take at least a year, and that a referendum will be held on the draft.
The prime minister considers it unthinkable that they would become like Fidesz. “Of course, we are also human and we will make mistakes, but we will try to correct them,” he added.
The Finnish newspaper wrote about the relationship between Hungary and Ukraine: Péter Magyar also has no intention of providing military assistance to Ukraine and does not permit the transit of weapons shipments through Hungary. In September, he briefly halted Ukraine’s European Union accession negotiations as well, demanding that Ukraine guarantee the rights of the Hungarian minority living in the country.
Péter Magyar told the newspaper that he intends to rebuild trust with Ukraine in small steps, and that he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, perhaps as early as this week in Brussels. He also noted that an agreement on the situation of the Hungarian minority had already been signed.
Speaking about Russia, he recalled that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the revolution and war of independence of 23 October, at the end of which the Soviet Union violently crushed Hungary’s attempt to break free from the socialist bloc.
“However, we cannot free ourselves from energy dependence overnight,” the prime minister said, adding that this dependence must be eliminated and new energy sources must be found, but that this will not happen quickly.
In the interview, Péter Magyar denied knowing any more about the progress of investigations into corruption cases from the Orbán era than any other Hungarian citizen. He also rejected opposition reactions in which he was accused of politically influencing the investigations.
He stated that the day before the interview, he himself had visited the prosecutor’s office regarding a 2024 incident, after a Hungarian man accused him of theft in connection with events that took place at a Budapest nightclub. Péter Magyar denied this, then stated that he had appeared before the prosecutor’s office as the first prime minister in Hungary’s history to respond to criminal charges, and in his view “this alone already refutes the accusation brought against him.”
The interview also touched on the fact that in September, Péter Magyar had declared his support for the right of gay people to adopt, while stating that he does not wish to promote the introduction of same-sex marriage. As he said: as prime minister, it is his duty to represent all Hungarians, and there are sensitive issues, such as the situation of sexual minorities or euthanasia.
According to Péter Magyar, it is better for a child to be raised by same-sex parents than to live in a children’s home. Nevertheless, he does not wish to initiate any legislative changes. “Change also depends on Hungarian society, and we need to talk about this,” the prime minister stated in the interview.
Artificial intelligence was used for the translation of parts of the original Hungarian text.