Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban insisted that Ukraine can’t win its war against Russia on the battlefield when he answered questions from international journalists at a press conference in Strasbourg for two hours on October 8.

The radical right-wing strongman, who is often criticised for defending Russian interests and cosying up to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, called for dialogue and a ceasefire to save lives.

"If you simply can't win this war on the battlefield, then you have to negotiate and save human lives. I am convinced that it cannot be decided on the battlefield, so the strategy the EU is following is not the right strategy," he asserted. He acknowledged that this stance puts him at odds with many EU leaders, who support continued military aid to Ukraine.

"We don't want to block anything; we just want to convince European leaders to change their strategy on Ukraine because the current strategy does not work," he noted.

In a statement that raised eyebrows, Orban also said he would "open several bottles of champagne" if Republican candidate Donald Trump wins the upcoming US presidential election. He suggested that a Trump victory would lead to immediate efforts to end the Ukraine war, even before his inauguration, and warned that European leaders should be prepared to react quickly to such a development.

As the current rotating president of the European Council, Orban painted a picture of changing European politics, criticising what he called the "European elite". He argued that there is growing dissatisfaction with left, liberal, and centre-right politicians in the EU, leading to the rise of new parties and players.

He called for these new voices, which he referred to as "patriots," to be included rather than excluded from EU processes. He deemed it unacceptable that members of his Patriots for Europe (PfE), the third-largest EP faction, were left without any positions in the parliament's key decision-making roles.

Orban also proposed regular meetings of Schengen country leaders, similar to eurozone summits, to discuss migration issues. He expressed support for Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen membership, stating that their inclusion would greatly benefit the EU.

Adopting a package on competitiveness at the informal EU summit in Budapest next month is one of the main goals of the Hungarian presidency,  Orban said at the press conference.

"We want to be catalysts of change," Orban told journalists, stating that the key components of the competitiveness deal include reducing administrative burdens, ensuring affordable energy prices, promoting a green industrial policy, strengthening the internal market, and enhancing capital markets to prevent the outflow of savings to the US. The prime minister underscored the importance of improving productivity in the face of stagnant labour force growth in Europe.

Economic growth in the EU lags behind that of the US and China, with companies paying two to three times more for energy. This is exacerbated by unfavourable demographic trends, which even migration cannot compensate for, he added. He noted that the Draghi report provides a good basis for the competitiveness deal.

Orban also faced questions about controversial issues such as Hungary's stance on EU funding and the conditionality procedure. He expressed a desire to reach agreements with the EU, while criticisng what he called "blackmail" regarding programmes such as Erasmus and Horizon.

The prime minister shrugged off questions concerning the MBH bank loan to the Spanish far-right party VOX, an ally of Orban’s Fidesz party and a member of the PfE faction, saying, "I do politics; it's not my place to deal with business issues."

He used the same narrative when asked by a journalist from 444.hu about his father's role as a major supplier of construction materials for the Chinese-Hungarian joint project of the renovation of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line.

The Hungarian leader will present the priorities of Hungary's presidency to MEPs in Strasbourg on Wednesday in a debate attended by Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

This will mark the first time that Orban will face his opposition challenger Peter Magyar, who is expected to speak second from the EPP representation, following the address of leader Manfred Weber. Other MEPs will likely take the opportunity to call Hungary’s strongman out and express sharp criticism of Hungary’s presidency.

Orban was originally scheduled to address the European Parliament in September, but his visit to Strasbourg was cancelled due to floods in Hungary.

Before the start of the press conference, a 19-year-old activist from the opposition party DK barged in the room before he was taken away by Orban's bodyguards.