Viktor Orban has claimed that Ukraine has “no chance” of winning against Russia’s invasion in a pointed attack on EU leaders he accused of prolonging the conflict.
The Hungarian Prime Minister argued that European leaders “would like to continue the war” by diverting aid to Kyiv, a move he said “kills” the EU and derided as “financially… crazy”.
“The situation and the time is better for the Russians than for us. Don’t continue. Stop it as soon as we can,” he told Mathias Dopfner on the MD Meets podcast, aired on Saturday.
Orban said Europe was “totally wrong” to continue to support Ukraine under the belief that the situation on the frontline would improve, creating better circumstances for negotiation.
He suggested Europe should instead open an independent line of communications to negotiate with Russia, before trying to consolidate positions with the US.
His comments expanded upon a frank analysis given during his visit to Washington earlier this month, where he told US president Donald Trump that “other governments” had continued to support Kyiv because they thought Ukraine could win the war, which he assessed was a “misunderstanding of the situation”.
Asked by Trump whether he assessed Ukraine “cannot win the war”, Orban laughed: “You know, miracles can happen.”
Unlike nearly every other EU leader, Orban has refused to supply Ukraine with economic aid or weapons to assist in its defence against Russia’s full-scale invasion, and has cast those countries that do support Kyiv as warmongers.
He has also cast the EU as an oppressive force, and compared the bloc to the Soviet Union, which dominated and occupied Hungary for decades in the 20th century.
Since Trump returned to the White House, Orban has cosied up to Washington and managed to win an exemption from sanctions over purchases of Russian oil and gas for one year during his visit this month.
The long-time Hungarian leader had promised “cheap Russian energy” to voters ahead of parliamentary elections next year. Polls suggest he is trailing to challenger Peter Magyar, who promises better integration with the EU.
Magyar, leader of the Tisza party, has avoided pigeonholing himself with a clear ideological stance, but has attacked Orban by saying he is “the closest EU ally of Vladimir Putin”. He told the FT the Russian president has “an interest to keep Orban in power”.
Orban argued that Hungary’s need for Russian energy was not “ideological” or “political”, but necessary due its position as a landlocked country.
The Hungarian leader walked away from this month’s summit with Trump with an exemption from sanctions over its purchases of Russian fuel, agreeing also to purchase US natural gas as part of the deal.
Trump has pressed European partners to avoid buying oil and gas from Russia in an effort to bend Moscow’s arm into negotiating peace in the war in Ukraine.
The US president threatened sanctions on those who buy from Russia’s largest oil companies last month, but expressed sympathy with Hungary’s position in a boon for his re-election bid.
