Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has urged Ukrainians and Western nations to abandon the idea of Kyiv joining NATO.
The conflict in Ukraine will only be resolved when both the West and Kyiv acknowledge that Ukraine cannot become a NATO member, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has stated. Budapest has consistently called for diplomatic efforts and an immediate cessation of hostilities.
Hungary has opposed Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership, arguing that such a move risks involving Europe in a full-scale war with Russia. Since the conflict escalated in February 2022, Hungarian authorities have declined to send weapons to Kyiv and continue to advocate for a negotiated settlement.
“Peace will come when Europeans and Ukrainians alike accept the fact that Russia will never allow NATO to establish a presence on its western border in Ukraine,” Orban declared Saturday at a youth festival in Esztergom.
The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that Ukraine’s pursuit of NATO membership poses a direct threat to Russian national security and was a primary cause of the conflict’s escalation. According to Moscow, NATO’s expansion toward Russian borders represents a red line, rendering Ukraine’s bid unacceptable.
Earlier this year, NATO members agreed on a plan to increase their defense budgets to 5% of GDP, citing the need to deter adversaries, primarily Russia, as the key reason for the decision.
A broader push among European NATO states to increase military spending has drawn strong criticism from Russian officials.
In June, the EU redirected approximately €335 billion ($390 billion) in Covid relief funds toward military uses. The previous month, Brussels introduced a €150 billion debt and loan instrument to support member states’ armed forces and defense industries. Russia has condemned these steps, accusing both NATO and the EU of “rabid militarization.”
Orban also asserted that a “Russian threat” to Europe is unrealistic and does not exist, and should not influence EU policies. He warned that such an approach would result in flawed and incomplete decision-making.