Orbán declares offensive to 'occupy Brussels' as Trump presidency begins

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Europe has become isolated from all the important players in the new world order, including the new US leadership, Russia, China and Africa.

Following the election of US President Donald Trump, however, and with the rise of the Patriots for Europe - a right-wing faction in the European Parliament - Orbán said he expects these forces to join and conduct a "reconstruction of the Western world."

He made the remarks at a conference titled "Successful Hungarian Presidency 2024 - A Chance for the European Union," organised by the 21st Century Institute and the Mathias Corvinus Collegium in Budapest.

Referring to Hungary's EU presidency during the second half of last year as a new ear, the Hungarian PM also accused EU leaders of leading the bloc into isolation, adding that “if all goes unchanged, the EU could become an absolute loser in the new world order... we don't want to be losers, thank you."

Declaring his admiration for the incoming US President Donald Trump, he said that "the Western world has a patriotic, pro-peace, pro-family, anti-migration and pro-family president" in Washington, and that "in just a few hours the sun will shine differently over Brussels."

Viktor Orbán spoke of "a new president in America, a large patriotic faction in Brussels, great enthusiasm, patriots who are tried and tested and love their country," adding that "the sick man of Europe today is the European Union".

The symptoms are well known, he said, "because the EU cannot guarantee the peace and security of Europe and its immediate neighbourhood or Europe's prosperity, it cannot stop illegal migration, it cannot give a perspective to agriculture, and Ukrainian membership of the EU would destroy EU