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>> Good. >> Backwards. >> Good day. Welcome to the press conference after the meeting of the prime ministers, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the new Prime Minister of Hungary, Peter Magyar. Mr. Prime Minister, please take the floor.
>> Welcome warmly. On a very festive day. Mr. Prime Minister, Peter, my friend, we are all very moved in Poland, almost all of us, because for long months we watched with growing emotion and growing hope the course of events in your homeland. I don't like grandiose formulations or pompous words, but your historic victory in Hungary is not only the return of Hungary to Europe, to high standards, to honesty, to true democracy. It is also a sign of hope for millions of people in Europe and around the world that democracy, the rule of law, decency, morality in politics — that these are not lost causes.
We often talked about this, we often commented on this lack of faith that appeared a few years ago in Europe, in the entire Western world, that these traditional values, to which both you and I are so attached, that these traditional values will survive, that the free world must lose to corruption, to authoritarianism, to dishonesty, to violence. What we managed to do in Poland in 2023 and this incredibly brilliant victory. Few believed in it — you believed, I believed, but few believed that this great victory in Hungary was possible. These are testimonies that all these values, if they find defenders, if they find people willing to sacrifice time, health, strength, and in some places around the world also life. If such people are found, then our world is not lost.
I wanted to say this in your presence so that you would know that in Poland you have friends — I would even say, perhaps, political admirers. We know how to appreciate fighting spirit. That has always united Hungarians and Poles — the awareness that important matters require fighting spirit, heart. Thank you for accepting this heart in Hungarian colors. I always wear a heart in Polish colors, because we both know well that any evil can be overcome if one has heart, if one believes in one's own nation.
Our Polish-Hungarian relations have traditionally been very good, with a certain interruption. I never hid the fact that the last years of Viktor Orbán's rule were not only a problem for Hungary but also a dramatic chapter in Polish-Hungarian relations for various reasons. But they were never bad relations between Poles and Hungarians. We simply had a different point of view on most important matters in politics. Today, Peter Magyar is the guarantor that these traditional words about Polish-Hungarian friendship, about 'bratanki' — we no longer have to repeat these words like spells, but through daily work we will show that Hungary and Poland, like one fist, will act together in Brussels, in geopolitical matters, and in settling various common interests, because we have almost exclusively common interests.
Thank you very much for the declaration made during our talks about your readiness to renew and once again make vital the Visegrád Group. These are precisely the last weeks of the Hungarian presidency in the Visegrád Group. If you manage to organize a Visegrád summit in Budapest, I will be more than happy. I waited long, long years for this moment — to once again sit at one table with a Hungarian, a Slovak, and a Czech and talk about what we can do together for our nations and in Europe. The revitalization of the Visegrád Group is a broader project. We have an identical view with the Prime Minister, and we also have a common interest as both nations that Central and Eastern Europe, from its northern borders to its south, for geopolitical reasons, for common views, for common actions against illegal migration, should become a place where the fate of Europe is also decided.
Both Peter Magyar and I, without any complexes, can say that we not only know Europe, we have gotten to know the European Union from the inside, but we can also say that without any complexes we intend to restore the significance of this region, and Polish-Hungarian cooperation will be absolutely key. Poland and Hungary are made for this under such leadership as the leadership of our guest today, so that Europe becomes more like us, because we have a great deal to offer Europe, and they will listen to us. Of that you can be certain. We will still talk today about the geopolitical situation. As you know, a lot is happening — too much — but for now we talked about our mutual relations.
Thank you very much for the declaration of full cooperation from the Hungarian state regarding the problems that weighed on Polish-Hungarian relations in recent weeks before you became Prime Minister — the issue of politicians pursued by the Polish state who face very serious charges. We will cooperate in such a way that such situations will never occur again. Thank you for this declaration of full cooperation. Poland will also be ready to provide both help and cooperation when needed regarding energy security. In Poland we managed to achieve full independence in a very short time through the diversification of raw material supplies. Dependence on a single state — remember, Poland was 90% dependent on Russian gas and oil supplies. That always makes sovereignty somewhat illusory. Today we are fully independent of supplies. We have the possibility of multi-directional action. I will offer, whenever there is a need, cooperation, help, investment in infrastructure, so that the whole region is truly autonomous and as self-sufficient as possible regarding energy supplies and energy sources.
We will also work on a common European position on the issue of Ukraine. We present a similar view. Ukraine, as you know, is very interested in accelerating accession negotiations. Ukraine very much desires membership in the European Union. Poland is fully well-disposed toward these plans, but of course, also in light of our experience regarding the economic situation, we will not only observe all the rules that also applied to Poland when joining the European Union, and I count here on cooperation with the Hungarian government — cooperation that is friendly and critical when necessary. I think we will be able to work out a common position very quickly.
>> Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister, and I would like to invite the Prime Minister of Hungary, Peter Magyar, to speak.
>> [cough][clearing throat] >> Thank you very much. Polish-Hungarian friendship... Donald... dear... every... important... >> [clearing throat] >> Excuse me, for the centuries-old Polish-Hungarian friendship, its knowledge and respect. Balaton... Balatonboglár... the settlement... World War... the Polish refugees... the majority of Polish compatriots stayed... that settlement, Balatonboglár, was the... in the city... that even those who returned from there had a name... Polish compatriots... believers... I am glad that we could begin today's program... we placed the memorial... at a memorial... 3,000... Polish... of Polish origin, Polish citizens were saved... jointly. You know them — it was about a Polish diplomat and a Hungarian government commissioner. Both of them were chosen as Righteous Among the Nations. One of them was taken by the Gestapo, the other was executed. It is no coincidence that I started in Poland... and this is fitting for my prime-ministerial visit... it is no coincidence... about this... from the very beginning of the campaign, this was a long and difficult campaign that took place in Hungary. And I always said that if the good God helps us, and the Hungarian people entrust us with the leadership of our wonderful country, then my first official visit, if there is a willingness to receive us, will lead to Poland. And fortunately, the good God helped us. The Hungarian people entrusted us, and there was a willingness to receive us from our Polish friends' side. It is no coincidence that I started in Kraków... and today, after the official visit, together with the Prime Minister, we visited... also... I wanted to go to as many places in Poland as possible... to those settlements... Poland... Europe... that Kraków, Warsaw, and all three... very important... peoples... and I would like to thank Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister, not only now after the election victory, but we had the opportunity to meet in person earlier, to speak by telephone, and we always received the greatest possible... from him. For this, thanks to him and to the Polish people. I think I don't need to explain here in Poland what a special, particular bond unites the two countries, Poland and Hungary. Yesterday in Kraków I also had the opportunity to pay respects at the tomb of Stephen Báthory, who was a Transylvanian prince, king... just like Hedvig, or as the Poles write, Queen Jadwiga... to pay respects at her tomb... and King Saint Ladislaus... their memory in the wonderful city of Kraków... it is moving and uplifting... to experience this in person... As I told the Prime Minister... I have been to Poland... especially in the southern regions, I had the chance with my children... Wrocław, Kraków, and smaller settlements... also the memorial of General Bem in the most Hungarian of Polish cities... it is always a joy to come... my sons, who regularly go to football cups... and most often win, so I apologize for coming to southern Poland, and I am glad that I have now made it here as well, so that I don't only speak about the past, about our wonderful shared past, sometimes about a very difficult past, because everyone knows Polish and Hungarian history. If Hungarian history was difficult, then Polish history was extremely difficult. But I think it is good that we are both here. Here is Poland, perhaps stronger than ever, and here is Hungary as well, and I believe — in fact, I am quite certain — that it will soon be stronger as well. And we also talked with the Prime Minister about... that we need strong, competitive, self-confident... members... and that for Europe to regain its old strength, its old glory, it needs a strong, competitive, self-respecting... Central Europe... a Central European region... that is why I am also glad that in the long history of the thousand-year Polish-Hungarian friendship we can now open a new chapter and once again strengthen this relationship, because the past is important — the past... the present cannot be understood without it, perhaps the future does not deserve it either, but it is not enough. Here in the present we must work together so that, on the one hand, we are worthy of our common heroes, our kings, our queens, our saints, our freedom fighters, and we must also work so that our children and grandchildren can be proud of us. The Prime Minister has three grandsons. I have three sons. We must work so that the generation that comes after us can also be proud of us, and as they say, our parents and grandparents were here, and they did what duty demanded. I will be a partner to Hungary in everything, Hungary will be a partner to Poland in everything, with the Prime Minister, naturally also with Slovakia, so that the Visegrád Four regain their old strength, glory, and influence. This is important for Europe. In fact, I am also personally ready... I consider it important that we expand the cooperation of the Visegrád Four, whether with our Scandinavian friends, or with Austria, Croatia, Romania, or the Western Balkan countries that have not yet joined the Union. The heart of Europe today beats in Central Europe, and we must work together so that this lasts as long as possible, so that this heart beats ever more strongly. And I am very glad that the Prime Minister is open, even during the Hungarian presidency, which runs until June 30, to a Visegrád prime-ministerial meeting, so I hereby officially invite you to the end of June, and of course I will do the same with the Czech Prime Minister and the Slovak Prime Minister, and I hope that at the end of June we will all be able to welcome each other in Budapest. As the Prime Minister mentioned, we have already discussed many things — the ministers have also discussed, we have also discussed, and we will continue these talks during the day. As he said, European security is of key importance, energy security — in these areas we can certainly cooperate more closely than before. We gladly welcome Poland's experience, which the Prime Minister offered, and we also gladly welcome Poland's experience in other areas, because there is a saying in Hungary in political life that 'the Warsaw express is arriving.' Hungarian politics has somehow developed since the regime change that Polish changes, after a shorter or longer time, arrive in Budapest, and now the express has also arrived in Budapest with Tusk's victory. This means that Poland is in some respects already ahead. We had similar problems. Donald Tusk's government also had similar problems, had to face similar problems after winning the election... European funds... good governance... the fight against corruption... we very much need the Prime Minister's experience... Poland... because they have obviously achieved fantastic results. It was enough to look... we arrived by train from Kraków... to Warsaw... we got off the train in Warsaw, and I had the chance to show live to the Hungarian compatriots what developments have taken place, both at the station and on the Kraków–Warsaw railway line, that this is a good example of what the EU funds are for. Of course, this can not only be seen here in Poland — we can see this in Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and other Central European countries, but unfortunately in Hungary in the last fifteen to twenty years we did not see this, or did not see it to this extent. At some point, when in 2004 Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and seven other countries joined the European Union, at that time Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary were considered equal. Poland is still the leader today. Poland has slowly become a great power, indispensable in defense matters, a regional hub — and we can talk about agriculture, the food industry, infrastructure development. And I believe that one should not be envious, one should not say that the neighbor's grass is greener, but one should learn, join forces, and work together so that Hungary too can have such development, whether in rail transport, energy infrastructure, or defense. So I am glad to be here, and glad that we can discuss these things. I am glad that six ministers have joined me, and that they too can hold bilateral talks with their Polish colleagues. And as the Prime Minister mentioned, we will certainly touch on more sensitive issues as well. And here I can repeat what I already said during the campaign: Budapest, Hungary will not be a dumping ground for criminals wanted internationally. I already said during the campaign that the former Polish minister and deputy minister mentioned will not wait for me to be sworn in as Prime Minister. And as you know, one of them has already left Hungary for the United States, and the other, according to incoming news, left Hungary heading toward Poland and Serbia. I confirmed to the Prime Minister that we are ready to cooperate in everything, to help so that these individuals can return to Poland and answer before the justice system there. That is all for now. Thank you very much for your attention.
Thank you very much for the warm welcome. And thank you very much. Given the Prime Minister's tight schedule, I would ask for time discipline, and I would like to ask for the first question.
Thank you. I'm Daniel from Telex. To Prime Minister Tusk, I would like to ask what is your position on the new Hungarian government's stance on buying Russian energy, oil and gas. Your government has earlier said that whoever buys energy from Russia is supporting their war. How do you view the new government's position on this? And to the Hungarian Prime Minister, I would like to ask what is your opinion on the Polish position regarding a possible end to the Russian-Ukrainian war — that Poland firmly supports the Ukrainians with weapons, financially as well, and consistently advocates for increasing pressure on the Russians. How do you view... the Russians... diversify... sources of... energy, and for me the most important thing is to make the whole region as... I started the process... 14 years... energy union... regardless... in which direction... in certain areas... I have said... Ukraine has every right to defend its territorial sovereignty and integrity with all available means. I want to emphasize this because Ukraine's independence and territory were guaranteed by the 1994 Budapest Memorandum — guaranteed until 2014. And what is needed now, what I encourage everyone to do, is first of all to have a ceasefire as soon as possible, because on the Russian side up to a million, and on the Ukrainian side even more people have lost their lives, many civilians, women... on both sides... everyone's goal can only be... and then a peace, a lasting peace that the international parties truly guarantee — not like the Budapest Memorandum, but afterwards they keep it... and Ukraine's security and territorial integrity... I have always been clear about this. I was the first European Parliament member in the summer of 2024 who, after the Russians bombed one of Europe's largest — not the largest — children's hospital in Kyiv... that day... the children... 10... we traveled by car... among them a 30-hour transit... Hungarian... I was in Kyiv... there was no... not only for us Hungarians, but also for the Hungarian minority living there... this war must be ended as soon as possible. The fact that there are differences of opinion about how to do this, what is the best... it is normal... every member state helps with the tools it decides on and what its own member state considers good. We can help with such tools. And I will quickly add that I mentioned to the Prime Minister the situation of the Hungarian minority — I said that the formation of the Tisza government is an opportunity to open a new chapter between Ukraine and Hungary. We sent a message to the Ukrainian side and said that technical-level consultations will begin regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia — cultural and other rights — so that they receive what every minority in the European Union is entitled to. And I very much hope and believe that this series of negotiations will proceed quickly and successfully. And as I mentioned and proposed, sometime in June we will meet with President Zelensky in Berehove, a city with a Hungarian majority in Transcarpathia. Of course, I also told the Prime Minister what I said in Brussels as well: that for us this is a condition. This is a precondition for Ukraine's EU accession — we can give our approval for the opening of the first chapter, because this chapter is precisely about the rule of law and democracy. I think it would be a strong signal from the Ukrainian side as well, that before this chapter opens, they are able to settle the situation of their own citizens.
And the next question, please. Good day, 19:30. Mr. Prime Minister, Russia openly threatens Latvia with an attack, an air alarm today in Lithuania. How should one respond to this? How should it be reacted to? And in the context of the American troops, how would you comment on the latest signals and what next? Thank you.
I warned many months ago, also a few weeks ago, that an escalation could occur — not only regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, but also regarding the entire eastern flank. I am not surprised that for the past couple of weeks there have been signals indicating that chaos could also affect our neighbors, particularly the Baltic states, not through their fault. Also today's incident with a drone over Vilnius — a few dozen hours ago it was Estonia. This war leads to the fact that, of course, there will be hundreds of different interpretations — whether it was a Ukrainian drone, later, whether Russian. One thing is certain: this war, Russia's aggression against Ukraine, causes the threat to other borders to be genuinely real. When I spoke about this a couple of weeks ago, it aroused emotions also in Poland among some commentators. And I want to repeat this emphatically once again. Today, fortunately, I am no longer alone. The Russian-Ukrainian war, Russia's aggressive policy toward Ukraine and its neighborhood, can lead — and in a not-too-distant time — to situations in which a firm response will be needed. I am convinced that all of NATO, including our American allies, will treat potential threats and provocations very seriously — provocations that may appear, let's call things by their name, are already appearing at this moment, particularly in relation to our Baltic neighbors. That is why Polish-Hungarian cooperation in the whole region, cooperation with the states — as you know, I have put a great deal of energy and work into this with the Baltic and Scandinavian states — for strengthening the protection of the European-Russian border. All of this must effectively deter potential provocateurs. The situation is serious. We are increasingly well prepared for every scenario. We would like to avoid bad events, but I am not one of those who will close their eyes to reality and pretend that nothing is happening. I don't want to frighten anyone. There is no direct threat to Poland at this moment. No, no, that is not what we are talking about, but the threat of provocations of various kinds is becoming a fact. I don't know whether the information has already reached you about the arrest today of three citizens of the Republic of Poland. Based on an investigation by the Internal Security Agency, it was conclusively established that they carried out intelligence tasks and also prepared for possible sabotage actions in Poland on behalf of the Russian Federation. Unfortunately, these are Polish citizens. The case is also developing. They were also involved in disinformation regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war and in anti-Ukrainian propaganda actions. They were also involved in the process of organizing weapons for Russians in Donbas. There is no joking. In these matters there is truly no room for complacency. Regarding the statement we witnessed from the Pentagon, from Mr. Hegseth, after the conversation with Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz — it should, of course, to a large extent, calm emotions. I take very seriously the declarations of our closest ally regarding the nature of these changes, this strategic correction. No one can be surprised. The Americans have been announcing this for a long time — that they will be correcting their policy, including their strategic presence in Europe, and that they will expect greater responsibility from Europe for its own security. Some may like this, some may not, but this position was quite clear from the very beginning of President Trump's term, and one must be able to cope with it and must respect and take seriously such announcements, particularly when our closest ally speaks about it. I gladly accepted the declaration from Washington that, regarding Poland, it will be treated as it deserves. Poland is an exceptional ally, and the Americans see and appreciate this. The statement by Vice President Vance at more or less the same time confirms, in turn, the determination of the Washington administration to reduce its presence in Europe and to expect greater responsibility from Europe. Poland is the most engaged of all NATO member states in increasing its own and Europe's security through spending and the construction of a modern army. We have nothing to reproach ourselves with here. And I deeply believe that all allies without exception will draw practical conclusions from this and will appreciate this fact.
>> Thank you very much. Would the Prime Minister like to add anything? No. We conclude here. So thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister. And now... >> Thank you very much. >> The next point of the visit. >> Yes, thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Thanks.
Remember about this five... Go... I...
