Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, speaking at a Copenhagen EU summit, noted Hungary’s desire to stay on the sidelines and highlighted the strategic importance of the “area now called Ukraine”.
Viktor Orban: Hungary Wants to Stay on the Sidelines
I spent two days in Copenhagen at the EU summit, and several voices there spoke about preparing Europe for a war with Russia, and therefore a question arose in my mind: how can Hungary be excluded from this? – said Prime Minister Viktor Orban in an interview with the weekly Hetek. Hungary is not at war with anyone; we have no war plan – we have a peace plan that outlines how to stay on the sidelines, and we do not want to go to war against anyone. In fact, we have not joined the European Union to go to war, but to have peace, because it is a peace project, he emphasised. They want to send money to Ukraine, want to send weapons to Ukraine, and want to use the EU to do so. I cannot stop the French or Germans from sending weapons to Ukraine, but I can stop the European Union from sending weapons and dragging Hungary into such a weapons shipment operation – he stressed.
Hungarian Prime Minister on the ‘Area Now Called Ukraine’
Viktor Orban emphasized in an interview that he would not want his country to border Germany, Russia and Turkey. The good thing is that between Hungary and Russia there is an area that is now called Ukraine. That is a strategic interest of Hungary: that Ukraine exists – he assessed, adding that it means “from the Hungarian national interest perspective”. Currently one‑fifth of Ukraine is under foreign occupation; the remaining three or four fifths cannot stand on their own feet, but we will keep it. That is obvious. This is not sustainable in the long term. The question is how to get out of this situation. The situation can only be solved by diplomacy. Therefore Hungary proposes that the European Union and Russia negotiate a future European security system that includes Ukraine. It’s not about Ukraine. It’s important but not the most important issue. The most important question is how to create a safe, secure and terror‑free life in Europe that also guarantees the economic well‑being of European citizens, he pointed out. We do not want to be in a union with Ukrainians, militarily in NATO, nor economically in the European Union. And we have the right not to want to be in a union with them, which means we can say that this Union is not expanded to Ukraine – he emphasised.
EU Summit in Copenhagen
Strengthening European defence, especially on the eastern flank, and supporting Ukraine were the main topics of the EU summit in Copenhagen, which took place this week. There is broad support among EU countries for two key defence projects – a drone wall and strengthening the defence of the eastern flank. However, there is no unanimity. The same applies to the reparatory loan for Ukraine of 140 billion euros, which is to be financed from frozen Russian assets and the formal start of membership negotiations with Kyiv.
Zelensky: Putin Wants to Wage War
In a Saturday evening speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky again emphasised that “Russia ignores or literally rejects every opportunity that would allow ending the war and guaranteeing security.” Putin wants to conduct it and does so exactly in this way, with terrorist, vile methods. Russia must suffer consequences. Europe, America, the G7 and G20 have the power to deal with every terrorist. And they will do it.
