Orban on Ukraine: 'This isn't our war'

(1 Apr 2022) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Szekesfehervar– 1 March 2022 1. Wide of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on stage UPSOUND (from the crowd): "Viktor, Viktor, Viktor…" 2. Wide of government supporters waving flags 3. SOUNDBITE (Hungarian) Viktor Orban, Hungarian Prime Minister: "This isn't our war, we have to stay out of it. Not a single Hungarian can be caught between the Ukrainian anvil and the Russian hammer. The left, however, has a different opinion. The left thinks that Ukraine is fighting our war. That's what our opponent's leader said word for word, 'Ukraine is fighting our war'. This is a mistake. This is not our war. We can't win anything in this war, but we have everything to lose. We can stay out by not sending soldiers or weapons, and not allowing arms shipments through Hungary's territory because then we'll immediately become a military target." 4. Tilt up of government supporters clapping 5. SOUNDBITE (Hungarian) Viktor Orban, Hungarian Prime Minister: "Our debate is with the Hungarian left, and we have a problem that they've agreed with the Ukrainians behind our backs. There's no doubt that if the left wins, weapons shipments would start the next day and they would support the recommendations to close the gas and oil pipelines from Russia. We can't allow this. We have to protect Hungary's interests." 6. Wide of the cheering crowd 7. SOUNDBITE (Hungarian) Viktor Orban, Hungarian Prime Minister: "If we sanction energy imports and they shut down the pipelines, then Hungary won't be just colder, the temperature won't go down one or two degrees, but the country will shut down. We'll quickly use our reserves and there won't be fuel, we'll have to close the factories and many people, including you, will lose their jobs. That's why the Ukrainians can't ask us to help them by destroying ourselves. And they can't hope to tell us how we should help them when they are the ones in trouble." 8. Pan of the cheering crowd 9. SOUNDBITE (Hungarian): Viktor Orban, Hungarian Prime Minister: "Let's go Hungary, let's go Hungarians. Only God is above us, Hungary first." ( Orban joined by family on stage) 10. Wide of the cheering crowd STORYLINE: Hungary's nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban on Friday portrayed his country's upcoming elections as an existential turning point and a choice between war and peace as he made a final appeal to voters at a campaign rally in a rural stronghold. Viktor Orban, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term as the head of Hungary's government, has campaigned on the promise that if re-elected in parliamentary elections on Sunday, he will protect Hungary's peace and security and maintain Russian energy imports as war rages in neighboring Ukraine. "This isn't our war, we have to stay out of it," Orban said to a crowd of hundreds of supporters in the central Hungarian city of Szekesfehervar. "We can stay out by not sending soldiers or weapons, and not allowing arms shipments through Hungary's territory because then we'll immediately become a military target." Alone among Ukraine's neighbors in the European Union, Hungary has refused to supply Ukraine with weapons and has forbid their transit across the Hungarian-Ukrainian border, arguing that doing so would draw the country into the conflict. While Orban has condemned Russia's war against Ukraine, he has been careful not to place responsibility for the conflict on Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he has forged close relations since taking office in 2010. =========================================================== Clients are reminded: Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   #UkraineCrisis #War #Orban #Hungary You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...