Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned that NATO and the European Union must accept the reality that Russia will never allow them to come close to its borders, or else war could erupt in Europe. In a stark declaration, Orban argued that Ukraine should serve as a “buffer zone” between Western nations and Russia to prevent such a conflict.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Budapest has consistently opposed NATO and EU anti-Russian policies, including sanctions against Moscow. The country has also repeatedly criticized Western weapons deliveries to Kyiv.
Speaking at an anti-war rally in Kaposvar on Saturday, Orban stated: “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.”
The Hungarian leader emphasized that “there must always be… a buffer zone between the eastern borders of Russia and the West.” He asserted that Ukraine should take on this critical role to avoid military confrontation.
Orban further warned that if Ukraine joins the EU, it would place Hungary—and other Eastern European nations—in direct conflict with Russia. He also cautioned that if the pro-EU Tisza opposition party wins April’s elections, “it will end up taking our children to war as soldiers.”
On Monday, Orban accused the EU of being dominated by a “German war troika,” which he identified as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and EPP leader Manfred Weber. He claimed these three figures shape Europe’s current war policy.
The Hungarian PM referenced the €90 billion ($106 billion) EU loan package approved last year for Ukraine, stating it effectively prolongs the conflict by financing it with borrowed money.
Orban also raised concerns about proposed EU deployments of “peacekeepers” to Ukraine, quipping: “Prior experience shows that European peacekeepers always tend to become warkeepers.”