The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, has recently expressed concerns that the West is nearing the brink of direct conflict with Russia due to their involvement in the Ukraine crisis. In an interview with TV2, he emphasized that both the European Union and the United States need pro-peace forces to replace those currently in power in order to avoid a catastrophic war scenario.
The escalating situation began when discussions about supplying more weapons and even troops to Ukraine started to dominate Western powers’ foreign policy debates. Orban argues that this course of action is driving the West “on a straight road to war.” When the conflict first erupted in 2022, most EU countries, including Germany, pledged only to provide non-lethal aid such as helmets and there was no question of supplying weapons capable of killing humans. However, the Western powers have since supplied Kiev with a wide range of weaponry and ammunition.
According to Orban, this continued escalation could result in a direct collision between Western European or American soldiers and Russian forces on Ukrainian soil. He lamented that most leaders currently in power in the West “don’t see it; they want war.” However, he also stated that we have not yet reached the point of no return, and that to prevent a war with Russia from occurring, there needs to be a change in Western governments.
Orban emphasized that “We are at the penultimate moment to reverse the outbreak of the war. For this we need to achieve change in Brussels and Washington. If the European leaders wanted peace today, within 24 hours there would be a ceasefire at the front line.” He added that there would be a greater chance of reaching a peace deal if Donald Trump were to win the US presidential election in November and “ends this war within 24 hours,” as he has pledged to do.
Hungary’s Prime Minister also insisted that Hungary should not take part in any potential NATO action in Ukraine. He argued that the military alliance was created with the purpose of defending member states from aggressors, not waging war outside its territory. Hungary has consistently criticized the Western approach to the Ukraine conflict, opposing NATO’s funding and arming of Ukraine, as well as the sweeping sanctions on Russia – instead calling for a ceasefire and diplomatic solution.