Orbán said in the interview that European countries, as democracies, could not ignore people’s opinion. „If governments see they could be toppled as a consequence of their [pro-war] stance, they get an extra motivation to think about peace”. Hungary’s government has received the strongest confirmation at the elections on June 9, Hungarians voted for peace, which was a decisive argument at the negotiations with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Orbán said. He said Hungary’s ruling parties had won the European parliamentary and local elections, which were about „whether Hungarian parties should stand on the side of war or peace”. Pro-peace parties had won, he said, adding: „Brussels and Washington grasped immediately that no matter how they try, Hungary’s government will not budge because it was strengthened and mandated by the voters.” Three days after the vote, the elections brought a concrete result, Orbán said, adding he could use the results to keep Hungary away from NATO’s Ukraine mission.