POLITICS: Márton Ugrósdy Talks Hungarian Election Campaign, Oil Prices at CPAC Hungary 2026 – USSA News

Dr Márton Ugrósdy is the Deputy State Secretary in charge of the Office of the Prime Minister’s Political Director. He has a PhD in Political Science from Corvinus University of Budapest. Mr Ugrósdy kindly talked to Hungarian Conservative for a brief interview at CPAC Hungary 2026.

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We’re here at CPAC Hungary 2026. This is the first CPAC Hungary in a Hungarian election campaign season. Has that changed the event in any way?

Of course it did. So, obviously, one of the major objectives of this event this year is to line up everybody who is supporting the Prime Minister, and there are quite a few of them down there. So, in that regard, obviously, this is a very successful occasion. But it’s really interesting that the European dimension became apparent. So you see the patriotic European leaders. You also see some leaders who are not patriotic by definition, because they’re not in the faction, but they’re closely aligned. So I think, in a way, this shows Prime Minister Orbán is not alone when it comes to saving Europe, and he’s not alone when he’s pursuing the conservative policies that he’s been studying for the last 40 years.

What do you know about Prime Minister Andrej Babiš of Czechia? Do we have any additional information on what happened yesterday that prevented him from coming?

There was a major security-related event last night in Czechia. I’m not aware of who claimed responsibility or what actually happened. But obviously, that is an objective factor that you have to take into account. And prime ministers are not really the masters of their own schedule anyway. So, these things occasionally happen.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán certainly made it here. He gave the keynote address, as tradition for CPAC Hungary. What we highlighted from his speech as its core message was: ‘We’re fighting for the soul of the Western world’. Do you agree with that message?

I think this is the most important fight that we are having right now, because it is about what the West is going to look like for the years and decades to come. And you see two very clearly distinguishable trends, if you will.

One is focused on what we stand for: history, tradition, families, God, and homeland—as Center for Fundamental Rights’ motto goes. And common sense also, which we shouldn’t forget. On the other hand, you have the progressives, just as they used to be for the last 150 years. So they’re about everybody being an individual, nations do not matter anymore, traditions are not important, and so forth. So, despite the fact that names have changed, and despite some of the people having been changed, the fundamental difference is still the same.

Also, the Israeli–US strikes on Iran have caused a major disruption in energy markets. Has that changed the relationship between President Trump and Prime Minister Orbán in any way?

Obviously, President Trump is very busy running the war, and we do not yet see how this is going to end. I mean, on the one hand, this is a war, so you shouldn’t trust anything you read online and in the press. On the other hand, maybe it’s still too early to tell. Our Prime Minister is very busy running the campaign. So most of the trends and most of the threats he has to fight are coming from the world economy and not President Trump, per se.

But it’s really crucial that we started energy cooperation in the United States last year. So, that provides an additional cushion when it comes to how we’re going to deal with the impact of the energy crisis.

Do you see crude oil prices going down even before the war ends in some way?

The oil prices are really interesting because I don’t think the supply shock will justify the rise that you’ve been seeing recently. And the numbers are also very confusing, because some are looking at the oil price, some others are looking at oil futures, some others are looking at oil-related bonds, and so on and so forth. So, you see quite a lot of different numbers. What really matters, I think, in the end, is whether oil will be physically available. So, whether you will have it in the barrels, or whether you will have it in the refineries. And price is an important factor of that, of course, but transport security and also physical access are equally important issues.

But reserves are still close to full. Am I correct on that?

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Yeah, absolutely.

So an actual shortage is not likely at this point.

I don’t think it’s going to impact the next few weeks anyway. But of course, if it’s going to last longer, we’ll see how it will work out.

Here, in Hungary, we have a price cap on fuel. So, the Hungarian vehicle operators pay a fixed price. That’s a popular measure of the Hungarian government.

Well, we hope it’s popular. But on the other hand, you also see that in most of the European countries, price controls are coming back. And in certain countries, like in Slovenia, there is also a maximum amount you can buy. We’re not there. So, we’re taking a different approach.

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