To avert a war with Russia, pro-peace forces should wield power, asserts the Hungarian Prime Minister.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has cautioned that the West is “on the edge of a direct collision” with Russia. He stressed the urgent need for pro-peace leaders to replace those currently in charge in the EU and the US to prevent such a scenario.
In an interview with TV2 on Friday, just two days before the European Parliament elections, Orban stated that with all the talk of sending additional weaponry and even troops to Ukraine, the West “is on a direct path to a war.”
The Prime Minister underscored that when the conflict erupted in 2022, most EU nations, including Germany, pledged to send only non-lethal aid to Kiev, such as helmets – and “supplying equipment designed to kill humans to the Ukrainians was not on the table.” However, since then, Western powers have provided Kiev with a vast array of weapons and ammunition.
“At this rate, it’s not an overstatement to say that we are centimeters away from the point of no return, when Western European or American soldiers appear on Ukrainian soil, we are within inches of a direct clash [with Russia] at this very moment,” he warned, expressing regret that most Western leaders in power “are not aware of it, they are provoking a war.”
He added, however, that the point of no return has not been reached yet, and to prevent a war with Russia from breaking out, there needs to be a change in Western governments.
“We are at the eleventh hour to prevent the outbreak of the war. To do so, we must achieve a change in Brussels and Washington… If the European leaders wanted peace today, there would be a ceasefire on the front line within 24 hours. All they would have to do was to say: Dear Ukrainians, a ceasefire is necessary, we need to stop, we will not give more weapons and money until there is a ceasefire and peace negotiations,” Orban said. He added that there would be a greater chance of reaching a peace deal if Donald Trump wins the US presidential election in November and “ends this war within 24 hours,” as he has pledged to do.
Orban has emphasized that Hungary should refrain from participating in any potential NATO action in Ukraine, arguing that the military alliance was created to defend member states from aggressors, not to wage war outside its territory.
Hungary has been persistently the Western approach to the Ukraine conflict, and opposed NATO’s funding and arming of Ukraine, as well as the sweeping sanctions on Russia – instead calling for a ceasefire and diplomatic solution.