Hungary is also looking into stopping Ukrainian natural gas and electricity deliveries - official

• The issue of the Friendship oil pipeline took up most of the government briefing. Despite the shutdown of the Druzhba pipeline, the government has guaranteed supplies, released strategic reserves and ordered 500,000 tons of Russian oil for transport by sea. Exports of diesel to Ukraine have been halted, and the possibility of restricting natural gas and electricity supplies is also under investigation. A new gasoline price cap is not currently under consideration.
• We also learned that over 25,000 preferential 3% loans have already been granted under the Home Start Programme. The government claims that the programme has not caused a real estate price explosion. The numbers disagree.
• Regarding the expanion of the Paks nuclear poewer plant or Paks II project, the minister said that Siemens Energy's departure will not cause any delays and that there are no technological obstacles.
• Some details have also emerged about Monday's US-Hungarian nuclear agreement: the document, which was signed in a ceremony, focuses on SMR technology, and Hungary is interested in installing several such power plants.
• It was also mentioned that an open tender has been launched for the Dunaújváros ironworks and that foreign parties are interested.
• Regarding dairy company Alföldi Tej Kft., the government would prefer a Hungarian buyer, but foreign investors may also be considered.
• With regard to Budapest's financial situation, it was stated that the government has provided a legal guarantee to ensure that workers in the capital are paid their wages, thus preventing operational bankruptcy.

The situation at the Dunaújváros steelworks (Dunai Vasmű or Dunaferr) was also discussed. The issue raised was that the government had previously mentioned three potential investors and appointed a government commissioner to save the plant. Gergely Gulyás said that

an open tender procedure is currently underway, accessible to all interested parties, and the bids will be evaluated after the deadline.

Due to the ongoing nature of the procedure, he declined to provide further details. However, he confirmed that foreign companies are among those interested.

Regarding the ownership situation of dairy company Alföldi Tej Kft., the minister neither confirmed nor denied that a Greek buyer would be the frontrunner. He said only that the government would have preferred a Hungarian market player to buy the company, but that a foreign investor could also be considered if no such offer was received.

The government expects a final decision on the SAFE EU military industry development support programme to be made next week.

According to our information, a decision on the matter will be made on Monday,

replied Minister Gergely Gulyás when asked about this issue.

In response to a further question, the minister clarified that the US-Hungarian nuclear agreement, which was signed on Monday, represents a significant technical advancement that is closely linked to the consultations which commenced during the US visit in November 2025. The negotiations focus on small modular reactor (SMR) technology.

The agreement does not specify a monetary limit, but

Hungary is particularly interested in the domestic development and installation of several such power plants,

the minister emphasised.

In response to a journalist's question about why the German company Siemens Energy had been dropped from the Paks II project, and whether this could cause delays to the investment, the minister said:

The investment will not be delayed because what Siemens would have provided is also available from American and French companies.

He added that "there are no technological obstacles to continuing construction."

The capital city was mentioned again after it found itself on the brink of bankruptcy. The minister said that, although Budapest occasionally finds itself on the verge of bankruptcy, it has never actually gone bankrupt, and it is the richest municipality in the country.

We have given the city a legal guarantee,

said Gulyás.

He added that if the capital city is unable to pay its employees, the Hungarian government has laid down in law that it will take over this responsibility, including for employees of public service companies.

Gulyás said that it is difficult to predict whether the Board of Peace will be able to take on the role of the UN. He said that volumes could be written about the UN's mistakes, but it is certain that it is the only global organisation in which virtually all states are represented. However, this also hinders the UN's effectiveness, and unanimous decisions are very rare in the Security Council due to its composition, he added.

Gulyás said that it has been very rare in this century for the Russians, Americans, French and British to agree on anything regarding global political issues. However, it is difficult to say at this point whether the Peace Council could replace the UN. In any case, the Peace Council may be somewhat more effective than the UN.

Financial obligations

Previously, Gulyás denied that Hungary would immediately pay the $1 billion permanent membership fee in the Board of Peace. He stressed that the payment of such a fee would be required only after three years. He believes that this new initiative should be given a chance and that, even if it is not successful, no harm will be done.

Today, Gulyás stressed that no financial contribution was offered, and the government decision authorised the Prime Minister to sign the agreement without imposing any financial obligations on Hungary. Gulyás said that there is currently no mention of sending peacekeepers, nor are there any plans to do so.

Viktor Orbán travelled to the Peace Council's inaugural meeting on Thursday, prior to parliament voting on the bill to promulgate the Peace Council's charter, submitted by Péter Szijjártó on Monday.

The council's inaugural meeting is to be held in Washington today, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán attending as one of the early supporters.

Poland has declined to join citing institutional and legal concerns, whilst Romania will participate as an observer. Trump announced that Board of Peace members have pledged USD 5 billion (approximately EUR 4.6 billion) for Gaza's reconstruction and will provide thousands of workers for international stabilisation and police forces in the region.

Euractiv has recently published an article listing where EU countries stand on Trump’s Board of Peace.

Trump on the 'throne'

The text of the charter of the Board of Peace was earlier obtained and verified by The Times of Israel.

It notably makes no mention of Gaza,

bolstering The Times of Israel’s reporting that the US wants the Board of Peace to assist in the resolution of other conflicts around the globe. However, the mandate of the board approved in November by the Security Council is limited to Gaza and only until the end of 2027.

Here's the relevant excerpt from the charter (Chapter II on Membership):

"Article 2.2: Member State Responsibilities

(a) Each Member State shall be represented on the Board of Peace by its Head of State or Government.

(b) Each Member State shall support and assist with Board of Peace operations consistent with their respective domestic legal authorities. Nothing in this Charter shall be construed to give the Board of Peace jurisdiction within the territory of Member States, or require Member States to participate in a particular peace-building mission, without their consent.

(c) Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman. The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force.

Article 2.3: Termination of Membership

Membership shall terminate upon the earlier of: (i) expiration of a three-year term, subject to Article 2.2(c) and renewal by the Chairman; (ii) withdrawal, consistent with Article 2.4; (iii) a removal decision by the Chairman, subject to a veto by a two-thirds majority of Member States: or (iv) dissolution of the Board of Peace pursuant to Chapter X. A Member State whose membership terminates shall also cease to be a Party to the Charter, but such State may be invited again to become a Member State, in accordance with Article 2.1.

Article 2.4: Withdrawal

Any Member State may withdraw from the Board of Peace with immediate effect by providing written notice to the Chairman."

Needless to say that Donald Trump will be Chairman. His remit will include the following:

• deciding when and where the BoP will convene;
• approving the agenda of said meetings;
• approving decisions reached by majority vote;
• approving an alternate high-ranking official to represent a member state;
• issuing invitations to relevant regional economic integration organisations to participate in the proceedings of the Board of Peace under such terms and conditions as he deems appropriate;
• having exclusive authority to create, modify, or dissolve subsidiary entities as necessary or appropriate to fulfill the Board of Peace’s mission;
• designating his successor;
• establishing subcommittees;
• selecting the Executive Board;
• removing and renewing Executive Board members;
• nominating a Chief Executive to the Executive Board;
• vetoing decisions by the Executive Board AT ANY TIME after they go into effect (which is immediately after a majority vote);
• having the final authority regarding the meaning, interpretation, and application of this Charter;
• power to confirm Chapter amendments that were adopted by a two-thirds majority approval of the Board of Peace;
• authorisation to adopt resolutions or other directives, consistent with this Charter, to implement the Board of Peace’s mission;
• dissolving the BoP as he considers necessary or appropriate;
• approving the official seal of the BoP.

The Fidesz Budapest Facebook page shared an artificial intelligence-generated video in which they threatened that, if Fidesz does not win the April parliamentary elections, Hungarian fathers would be sent to the front lines and executed, Telex reported.

In the video, a young girl asks her mother, who is chopping mushrooms in the kitchen, when her father will be home. Her mother replies, tears in her eyes, "Soon." Next, we see Hungarian soldiers in uniform being transported by helicopter to the front. There, an officer wearing a uniform reminiscent of a World War II Nazi uniform shoots the father, who is holding his daughter's photo, in the head. The caption reads: 'War takes everything from everyone. Let's not take any chances! Fidesz is the safe choice.'

Fidesz Budapest shared the video with the comment: 'This is just a nightmare now, but Brussels is preparing to make it a reality.'

Péter Magyar, the head of Tisza Party and Orbán's challenger in the spring elections, also reacted to the video, calling it "stomach-churning and outrageous".

"With this video, Fidesz has truly crossed every line. What Orbán and his supporters have done tramples all over the most basic human and moral norms. Using children, threats of execution and fearmongering for political gain is not politics; it is soulless manipulation! It is sickening, unforgivable and outrageous," he wrote.

Magyar called on Fidesz to remove the video immediately and apologise. "There is no excuse, no explanation and no justification for using images of innocent children and scenes of execution to instil fear in an entire country," he wrote.

When asked about the video, Gulyás replied that he could only comment on what he had seen and that war was horrible.

What we see is the reality of war,

he said of the video created using artificial intelligence.

In connection with the oil dispute, Gergely Gulyás emphasised that the government's position remains that the energy infrastructure damaged by the Russian drone attack has already been repaired.

Gulyás stated that the pipeline itself had not been attacked in recent months, although the storage facility next to it was hit by a Russian drone attack in January. He said that the Ukrainians had promised Mol that the work would take a day or two, but then, in his opinion, a decision was made at the highest presidential level to stop the transport.

The minister said that Kyiv did not provide any information, but kept making promises.

First they said it [the repairs] would take two days, then they said it [the pipeline] would be restarted on 12 February, but nothing has happened since then,

he added. No crude oil has arrived since then, and Gulyás said that, for the time being, "the Ukrainian side has not burdened us with any new lies."

The issue of fuel prices also came up. In response to a journalist's question about reintroducing price caps if prices reached 600–700 forints per litre, the minister said that

the government had previously used this tool and that, if the price increase justified it, they would consider all available measures.

For the time being, however, they do not see the need for further intervention.

The cabinet also discussed the status of the Home Start Programme. According to the report,

financial institutions have disbursed over 25,000 fixed 3% interest loans.

Gulyás provided further details, stating that

• 80% of applicants are under 40 years old,
• 70% are under 35 years old,
• the average loan amount is HUF 35 million, and
• the average term is 21.5 years.

The government believes that the programme has not caused an explosive rise in real estate prices. Based on data from August to December, the annual price increase was lower than the previous year, and rental prices have stagnated. The cabinet attributes this in part to price and square metre limits.

The Prime Minister's trip to Washington was also discussed during the press briefing. According to the information provided, the head of government will attend the inaugural meeting of Donald Trump's US 'Board of Peace#. The Hungarian position is that, while numerous international organisations are addressing the war, there is also a need for initiatives specifically aimed at establishing peace.

According to the government's assessment,

while Hungary's membership does not entail any financial obligations, it does create an opportunity to represent Hungarian interests in a forum led by the US President,

Gulyás said.

At yesterday's meeting, the Hungarian government focused on the situation surrounding the Friendship (Druzhba) oil pipeline,

Gergely Gulyás, the Prime Minister's chief of staff, began his briefing.

Gulyás considers it unacceptable that the Ukrainians have shut down the Druzhba oil pipeline. The government claims that there has been nothing to prevent the pipeline from being restarted for weeks, yet this has still not happened. In his view, therefore, the Ukrainian leadership is deliberately causing damage to two EU countries: Slovakia and Hungary.

The government believes that the supply is guaranteed as strategic reserves have been released to ensure supply for more than three months. In addition, Russian oil has been ordered by sea, with Mol reporting 500,000 tonnes so far.

Gulyás said that the government does not accept the Ukrainians' decision, believing it to be contrary to their EU candidate status [which Hungary is trying to prevent tooth and nail]. Oil deliveries have now been halted as a result, and

the possibility of halting electricity and natural gas deliveries is also being considered.

Further measures are expected if Ukraine continues to keep the oil pipeline closed.

the government is also looking into halting natural gas and electricity supplies.