Minister Gulyás shares shocking information: previous military chief would have sent Hungarian soldiers to Ukraine

The European Commission would make central Europe, especially Hungary and Slovakia, “pay for Ukraine’s accelerated EU accession through a ban of Russian gas imports,” Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, said at a government press briefing on Thursday. Talking about the previous chief of staff of the Hungarian Defence Forces, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, Gulyás said that he “took a lot of liberties” as chief of staff and he “would have sent Hungarian soldiers to Ukraine.”

Gulyás said the price of electricity and gas would jump by 100 and 150 percent, respectively, for Hungarian households due to the ban on Russian gas and crude oil imports.

The minister also announced that the government would extend markup caps on household products.

Gulyás said “extremely negative processes” were taking place in the European Union, adding that the European People’s Party headed by Manfred Weber, whose members include EC President Ursula von der Leyen and the Tisza Party, had decided to support Ukraine unconditionally and fast-track the country into the EU.

The EC president on Wednesday made it clear that the plan was to open all accession chapters with Ukraine in 2025, while weapons deliveries would also continue, prolonging the war, Gulyás said.

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The EC also proposes ending imports of Russian gas and crude oil, which poses the biggest threat to Hungary, Gulyás said.

If Hungary had to buy gas and crude oil from elsewhere, that would cost one and a half to two billion euros more than what Hungary is paying now. This means that the price of gas and electricity would jump by 100 percent and 150 percent, respectively, for Hungarian households, while it would also become a lot more expensive for businesses, he said.

He said Hungary would do “everything possible” to oppose the plan so that Hungarians would not be made to pay the price of Ukraine’s EU accession. This is another reason why everyone should have their say on Ukraine’s accession in the ‘Voks 2025’ referendum vote, he added.

He said the commission’s proposal set out to deliberately harm Hungary, Slovakia and the entire central European region.

Gulyás said Hungary sought potential allies and it appeared they were there and their numbers could grow.

He said that ever since the US presidential election a quick peace settlement had become a possibility, and economic relations between Europe and Russia could be normalised in short order.

But the question now was whether Europe would abandon the principle set down in the bloc’s treaties that each member state can determine its own energy mix, he said.

The EC, he added, was now proposing that unanimity should not be necessary, adding that this was “unacceptable” to Hungary, and the government would do everything to prevent this from happening.

He said diversification should not mean switching from a kind of one-way dependence to another kind of one-way dependence, because that is what the elimination of Russian imports would result in. It would be physically difficult to provide Hungary with energy and it would also be substantially more expensive, he said.

Meanwhile, Gulyás said that after a discussion of economic issues at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, the government decided to mandate a 15 percent cap on markups on more than 1,000 household products in 30 categories. He added that a cap on markups on a range of food products, rolled out earlier, had yielded positive results. He said the government trusted that these measures would bring down inflation.

Gulyás said the government had submitted a balanced budget bill for 2026, one that contained resources for family subsidies, economic development and pensions even during a difficult period.

He said the government’s 2026 budget bill was based on channeling financing to support Hungarian families, not Ukraine. The bill earmarks 4,800 billion forints (11.8 billion euros) for family policies, with over 800 billion forints allocated for maintaining the regulated utilities price scheme for households, he added.

He said Hungary was undertaking Europe’s biggest tax reduction programme, highlighting 320 billion forints for a personal income tax exemption for mothers of two and three, and 290 billion forints for the doubling of tax allowances for families with children.

The biggest budget line, he said, remained spending on pensioners, including the usual pension increase, an annual bonus and a growth-linked premium, to a value of 7,700 billion forints. The budget also allocates 5,500 billion forints for economic development, in addition to resources for a 13 percent minimum wage increase and a bonus for Hungarians in uniform, he added.

Referring to recent comments made by the defence minister that Hungary must be ready for war, Gulyás said: “It’s not an issue.” In the face of a threat of war, what was saying was self-evident and the right thing to do.
“In fact, we can all see that this is nothing to write home about. Nothing happened here. A defence minister is saying that the soldiers must defend the country. “Who else would be talking about this if not him?” Gulyás said.

He insisted that the Hungarian government had done everything possible in recent years in the interest of peace, but soldiers must prepare for war and the defence of the country, he said.

Gulyás said the difference was that whereas the previous chief of staff, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi — who has taken up a role in the opposition Tisza Party — wanted to defend Ukraine and deploy soldiers to Ukraine, the defence minister and the Hungarian military “must defend Hungary”, he added.

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Gulyás also noted that the Hungarian prime minister talked about the need for a joint European defence force well before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. “We were the ones who recognised that major change was taking place in the world, the threat of war was getting greater than before, and if somebody must prepare for this, it was the military,” he said.

Gulyás said the country needs a capable army “which can serve peace if it is ready for war anytime”, adding that the country’s security required a “suitably strong” military.

Meanwhile, Gulyás confirmed press reports that Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi had committed “egregious insubordination” when he “stepped beyond his mandate from the Hungarian government as chief of staff … and closed his remarks at a NATO session with the slogan “Slava Ukraini”.

Ruszin-Szendi, who is the opposition Tisza Party’s defence expert, had “promoted a pro-Ukraine and pro-war narrative” in NATO, while he “purported to present an anti-war narrative to the government”, Gulyás said. “He was aware of what he was doing … or else he would not have left it out of his reports,” the minister added.

The defence ministry has reported the matter to parliament’s national security committee, which will conduct the primary investigation into whether the former chief of staff is suspected of committing a crime, Gulyás said.

“Ruszin-Szendi’s activities have undoubtedly been shameful. What makes the difference is that we removed him because of those activities and Tisza has embraced him with regard to those same activities,” Gulyás said.

Ruszin-Szendi was aware that he had “overstepped his mandate … or else he would not have left it out of his reports,” the minister said, adding that it had been “egregious insubordination” by the former officer. He said Ruszin-Szendi had been given a clear mandate for his NATO counterparts’ meeting “but he presented components that were favourable for Ukraine but omitted ones aimed for peace and against an escalation of the war.”

Asked if he agreed with the “Slava Ukraini!” slogan, Gulyás said he thought Ukraine’s fight for their homeland “heroic”. He said he thought other members of the Hungarian governments were of the same opinion, but added that “we could question the correctness of a chief of staff concluding his contribution this way … if his address already contained mistakes he was certainly wrong to put it that way.”

Ruszin-Szendi “took a lot of liberties” as chief of staff, Gulyás said, adding that the former chief of staff “would have sent Hungarian soldiers to Ukraine.” “It would be unacceptable for Hungarian soldiers to fight for a country other than their own,” he added.

Gulyás said that while the Hungarian defence minister promoted Hungary’s defence, opposition Tisza advocated protection for Ukraine and its EU accession.

Commenting on Ukraine’s EU accession, Gulyás said respect for national minority rights — and in Ukraine’s case, “the lack of it” — was an red line for Hungary. The minimum requirement, at least in the case of EU minorities, would be to reinstate pre-2015 minority rights, he added.
If accession were merit-based, then Ukraine would join the EU before then middle of the next decade, he said. Yet, the European Commission president has said all accession chapters should be concluded this year, he said, adding that other better-prepared countries had been made to wait for decades.

Asked about President Volodymyr Zelensky’s assertion that 70 percent of Hungarians supported Ukraine’s accession, he said it was “mathematically inconceivable” that 58 percent of the closest supporters of Tisza party could equal 70 percent of all Hungarians. He added that the Tisza Party’s support for Ukraine’s EU accession was “dangerous, harmful and irresponsible”.

Put to him that Magyar denied Tisza supported Ukraine’s EU accession, Gulyás said said Tisza was drafting its government programme on the basis of the views of its voters, and they had decided to support Ukraine’s accession.

Gulyás also denied the claim that Hungary was the only EU country that opposed Ukraine’s accession. Even if this were the case, Hungarians alone would be able to veto its membership because the EU treaty requires unanimous support, he added.

He said the Hungarian government on its own could veto several points, but this should have the backing of public for the maximum impact of legitimacy as it was clear that the European Commission was not shy about questioning the rights of member states.

Gulyas said Ukraine’s EU membership would damage Europe and “fatally threaten” the region.

Meanwhile, he said Hungary’s exit from the EU had never been brought up as an option and such claims were “fake news” aimed at misleading voters. Gulyas said the government wanted a more effective EU, and giving more space in decision-making to political forces with the same vision as the EU’s founders would achieve this goal.

Gulyas said Hungary-Ukraine relations were “currently not the best”. Ukraine, he added, had never used a tone of gratitude for Hungary receiving its refugees. He said this was not a good basis for improving relations and removing distrust.

He said White House attempts to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia deserved praise, and he expressed hope that the efforts would be successful. Without further progress, the US may withdraw from the talks, he said. “But the talks are under way for now,” he added.

Asked whether the terms of peace were indifferent for Hungary, he said the terms were not indifferent but the priority was that there should be peace.

Commenting on the EC’s plans to ban all Russian oil and gas imports from EU markets, he said the proposal stood on a weak legal basis, considering that it was an attempt to introduce sanctions in the form of a trade policy decision. He added that a similar proposal had been made in 2022 but Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic received an exemption because the Hungarian veto prevented the required unanimity.

In response to a question about whether Hungary would raise a veto at the next vote on energy sanctions, he said Hungary would normally not tie together unrelated issues in the EU because this went against the principle of loyal cooperation, but they were seeking simple legal opportunities that would make it impossible for the EC to approve the proposal. He said Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó had estimated the resulting loss for Hungary at 1.5 billion euros, and Csaba Lantos, the energy minister, cited 2 billion euros.

Responding a question about relations with Germany, Gulyás said Hungary was “cautiously optimistic” about cooperation with the new German Chancellor. The day after Friedrich Merz assumed power, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán congratulated him, he added.

Gulyás noted that the Green Party, “which doesn’t like Hungary or the Hungarian government”, has lost its place in the ruling coalition. This, he said, opened an opportunity for an improvement in German-Hungarian political relations. “This will still bring countless discussions, but European politics may also find more common points, especially on migration.”

He said he hoped that Germany would have a stable government in the coming years, adding this was in Hungary’s interest.

Commenting on the decision of Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution to declare the AfD an extremist party, Gulyás said: “It is unfortunate when a state tries to curb political competition with tools meant for constitutional protection or national security, and the matter is especially sensitive when it comes to political parties.” He said calling one of the most popular parties in the country a “certified extremist party” is a “democratic problem” as “one should not try to be cleverer than the voter”.

Commenting on the presidential elections in Romania, Gulyás said the government would wait to see how Romanian voters decided before looking into ways of cooperating with the elected president. “Hungary will not budge on one issue: the Hungarian minority in Romania must be respected.” The ethnic Hungarian RMDSZ party would be key in that respect, he added.

Regarding Romania’s AUR party, Gulyás said Fidesz was cooperating with the European Parliament’s European Conservatives and Reformers party group, of which AUR is a member. “But we are not in the same party family, and that is not a coincidence,” he added.

Any cooperation with Romania’s future president must be based on Romania’s respect for the rights of the ethnic Hungarian minority, he said, adding that they would not be curbed but expanded as much as possible.

Commenting on Russia’s commemoration of the end of the second world war, Gulyás said: “Hungarian leaders such as the prime minister, the president of the Speaker of Parliament have no place at the celebrations held on May 9 in Moscow.” He said that whereas communist rhetoric had hailed the day as one of liberation, “it was also the start of a new, brutal, totalitarian, murderous dictatorship.”

Meanwhile, regarding the caps on markups to some household products, Gulyás said that the caps will come into force on May 19 on more than 1,000 items in some 30 categories, and will be in force until August 31, or 90 days, with a possibility of extension. The government is expecting a 10 percent fall in prices, he said. He said the government will discuss extending already existing caps on markups on foodstuffs at the next cabinet meeting.

Commenting on alleged irregularities concerning National Bank of Hungary‘s (NBH) foundations, Gulyás said that the investigation was still under way. “At the same time, should the Neumann Janos University fail to recover its 127.5 billion forints and turn to the government for financial help, the government would probably help,” he said.

Regarding the possible renegotiation of the minimum wage agreement, he said it was worth waiting for another quarter’s data to make any forecasts about annual GDP. Agreements on the minimum wage, he noted, are reached between employees and employers, adding that the 2026 budget covered the funding needed in the public sector for a 13 percent increase.

Regarding reports on the enrichment of the circle of the NBH governor’s son, Gulyás said that if the reports are true, “then this is unacceptable”. “As to the investments of the NBH foundation, it is always easy to be smart in hindsight,” he added.

The NBH’s governor has said he wanted to scrap the NBH’s licence to set up foundations for activities not connected to its immediate competencies, Gulyás said. The NBH and parliament are engaged in talks on the matter, he added.

Commenting on the Court of Justice of the European Union’s decision on the case of a Hungarian FX loan holder, Gulyás said the law and court decisions must be respected. The decision does not compel Hungary to create further legislation, but rather provided guidelines for courts, he said.

According to the CJEU’s ruling, damages must be borne fully by the banks if the information they provided was unfair. The decision makes clear that the cases must be assessed individually, he added.

Regarding the foot-and-mouth disease, he said two weeks had passed without further cases, longer than the disease’s incubation period. The farmers affected are being compensated for their losses, he said, adding that compensations may total at some 10 billion forints “if this stops now”.

Concerning the possible nomination of Chief Prosecutor Péter Polt to head the Constitutional Court, Gulyás said Polt was arguably one of the best Hungarian lawyers in his field. Gulyás said he considered Polt suitable for any public post requiring a law degree, adding that he would grant his support if Polt were nominated.
Asked if he found Csaba Hende suitable to be a member of the Constitutional Court, Gulyás said he thought Hende to be “an excellent lawyer”. He said that “there is no need to guess”, adding that the nominations would be made before 4pm on Thursday for the May 20 vote.

Gulyás said it was up to the president of the republic to make nominations for the chief prosecutor, and noted that Polt had once been nominated for a post by the late President Arpad Goncz.

Tamas Sulyok, the incumbent president, is “one of the most respected lawyers in the country” and “he will probably nominate the right person,” Gulyás said. Asked if the government was planning to make recommendations, Gulyás said it was “far from the government” to step on the president’s powers.

Asked if the next chief prosecutor would be “more independent of [ruling] Fidesz” than Polt, Gulyás said criticism of Polt for his earlier Fidesz membership employed double standards, adding that Hungary had three chief prosecutors since 1989, “two of which were members of the Communist Party and were never insulted for the fact.”

Gulyás rejected suggestions that the government could have timed the election of the chief prosecutor “for fear of an election defeat” in 2026. “I think we will win the election,” he added.

There are no plans for the Constitutional Court to be subordinated to the Kuria, the supreme court, he said, answering another question.

Asked whether the government may make it impossible for the opposition Tisza Party to run in next year’s general election, he said the question was “absurd”, adding that Tisza’s leader, Peter Magyar, had raised the “mentally not quite balanced” idea. He said Hungarian law did not allow for the exclusion of a party from the elections, neither had there been a precedent in Hungary of the public prosecutor dissolving a political party.

Hungary, he said, was a democratic, free country governed by the rule of law, “where all those who wish” can run in an election. “A situation like that in Romania or in semi-dictatorships of other continents” was not possible in Hungary. Similarly, it was not possible to stigmatise a party and impose strict controls on it “as it has happened to Germany’s most popular party,” Gulyás added.

Meanwhile, Gulyás said if Tisza or the Democratic Coalition won power, this would result in “removing sovereign politics” from the country. “Still, those arguing for a European United States, those who would give up the country’s sovereignty entirely or would welcome Hungarian tax regulations made in Brussels, are legitimate politicians… Promoting such positions is not punishable by law,” he said.

Commenting on a statement by Janos Lazar, the construction and transport minister, who said he put the chances of Fidesz or Tisza winning the 2026 elections at 50-50 percent, Gulyás said he was more optimistic than that, but the government’s job now was to focus on governing the country. In legal terms, the election campaign lasts for two months, but from the autumn Hungarian politics would unavoidably switch to campaign mode.

Asked about the election of the new pope, Gulyás said the government would respect the decision of the conclave. The head of the Vatican is also a partner of Hungary’s state leaders, he said, adding that close to 70 percent of Hungary’s population are Catholics and the new pontiff will also be their spiritual leader.