Hungary may cut payments to refugees from Ukraine: what Orban said

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Ukrainian refugees in the country receive more generous assistance than unemployed Hungarians, and did not rule out limiting financial support in the future.

He stated this on the social network X.

According to Orban, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Hungary has taken in “thousands” of Ukrainians and provided them with support comparable to that received by Hungarian citizens. In this regard, he stressed, Hungary is the “only country” where assistance to Ukrainians is equivalent to that provided to Hungarians.

“There is no such thing as free money,” the prime minister emphasized, adding that Ukrainians should not receive more than locals. He said that if a Hungarian receives unemployment benefits for three months, after which he works in public works, then his “dear Ukrainian friend” gets the same amount – “maybe even half a shirt, but no more.”

Currently, about 40,000 Ukrainians receive temporary protection in Hungary, according to Eurostat.

Experts note that Orban has used manipulative rhetoric: in particular, in Germany, Ukrainians with temporary protection status also receive assistance on an equal basis with citizens. This emphasizes that the Hungarian position is not unified across Europe.

As a reminder, in Germany, the Prime Minister of the federal state of Bavaria and the leader of the Christian Social Union, Markus Söder, called for a review of social support for Ukrainian refugees. In particular, he proposed canceling the payment of the so-called “citizen’s aid” – social support received in the country by the unemployed and low-income people.

As reported, United States President Donald Trump said that Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war will be able to remain in the United States until the full-scale Russian invasion is over.

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