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Hungarian PM Says NATO, EU Presence on Russia’s Border Risks War
(MENAFN) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned that NATO and the European Union must abandon any expectation of moving closer to Russia’s borders, arguing that such efforts would inevitably provoke conflict and plunge Europe into war. He said Ukraine should function as a strategic “buffer zone” separating Russia from the West.
Since the Ukraine conflict intensified in February 2022, Hungary has stood apart from many of its allies, openly rejecting anti-Russian measures adopted by NATO and the EU. Budapest has opposed sanctions on Moscow and repeatedly criticized Western arms shipments to Kiev.
Speaking at an anti-war rally in Kaposvar on Saturday, Orban said that “we must accept that NATO and the European Union cannot be located directly at Russia’s borders, because the Russians will always respond to this with war.”
He argued that long-term stability in Europe requires geographical separation, insisting that “there must always be… a buffer zone between the eastern borders of Russia and the West.” According to Orban, Ukraine should assume that role to prevent a direct military confrontation.
The Hungarian leader also cautioned that EU membership for Ukraine would dramatically escalate tensions, claiming it would place the bloc — including Hungary — in a head-on standoff with Moscow.
Turning to domestic politics, Orban warned that a victory by the pro-EU Tisza opposition party in elections scheduled for April “will end up taking our children to war as soldiers.”
On Monday, Orban further accused the EU of being driven by what he called a “German war troika,” naming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber. According to the prime minister, “these three people are the ones who shape Europe’s war policy today.”
He pointed to the €90 billion ($106 billion) EU loan package for Ukraine approved late last year, arguing that the bloc had effectively committed to funding the conflict for another two years through borrowed money.
Orban also voiced concern over proposals from several EU leaders to deploy peacekeepers to Ukraine, issuing a blunt warning: “Prior experience shows that European peacekeepers always tend to become warkeepers,” Orban quipped.
Since the Ukraine conflict intensified in February 2022, Hungary has stood apart from many of its allies, openly rejecting anti-Russian measures adopted by NATO and the EU. Budapest has opposed sanctions on Moscow and repeatedly criticized Western arms shipments to Kiev.
Speaking at an anti-war rally in Kaposvar on Saturday, Orban said that “we must accept that NATO and the European Union cannot be located directly at Russia’s borders, because the Russians will always respond to this with war.”
He argued that long-term stability in Europe requires geographical separation, insisting that “there must always be… a buffer zone between the eastern borders of Russia and the West.” According to Orban, Ukraine should assume that role to prevent a direct military confrontation.
The Hungarian leader also cautioned that EU membership for Ukraine would dramatically escalate tensions, claiming it would place the bloc — including Hungary — in a head-on standoff with Moscow.
Turning to domestic politics, Orban warned that a victory by the pro-EU Tisza opposition party in elections scheduled for April “will end up taking our children to war as soldiers.”
On Monday, Orban further accused the EU of being driven by what he called a “German war troika,” naming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber. According to the prime minister, “these three people are the ones who shape Europe’s war policy today.”
He pointed to the €90 billion ($106 billion) EU loan package for Ukraine approved late last year, arguing that the bloc had effectively committed to funding the conflict for another two years through borrowed money.
Orban also voiced concern over proposals from several EU leaders to deploy peacekeepers to Ukraine, issuing a blunt warning: “Prior experience shows that European peacekeepers always tend to become warkeepers,” Orban quipped.
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