Hungary avoids direct involvement in Ukraine conflict over Russian assets, PM says

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the country avoided direct risk of being drawn into war over plans to use Russian assets to finance Ukraine.

Writing on X, Orban explained that Europe could have effectively declared war on Russia by leveraging frozen assets, which would have imposed a financial burden of 1,000 billion forints (about $3.06 billion) on Hungary, adding that his government had succeeded in protecting Hungarian families from this, Caliber.Az reports.

We have endured a long and challenging night.

We managed to avert the immediate risk of war. We did not allow Europe to issue a declaration of war on Russia by using Russian assets.

This plan would have dragged Europe into war and imposed a financial burden of 1000 billion HUF… pic.twitter.com/Jbs1KI6XvA

— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) December 19, 2025

“At the same time, 24 member states decided to grant a war loan to Ukraine for the next two years. If Ukraine is unable to repay the loan, those European countries will have to cover the repayment.

Thankfully, the V3 cooperation is active once again: Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have decided not to get on that train. By doing so, we spared our children and grandchildren from the burden of this massive €90 billion loan. Hungary’s share of the war loan would have been more than 400 billion HUF,” PM wrote.

Orban emphasised that, despite this, military preparations in Brussels continue, and Hungary remains “a voice of peace in Europe,” preventing Hungarian taxpayers’ money from being used to fund Ukraine. He added that only a “government of patriots” can guarantee peace and protect national resources.

Alongside this statement, he told journalists after the EU summit in Brussels that if Russia were to sue the EU over the confiscation of its frozen assets, the bloc could be forced to pay back an amount potentially double the seized sum, noting that Belgium, where most Russian funds are held, has refused to assume responsibility unless member states cover the risk.

The prime minister also highlighted protests in Brussels, where thousands of farmers rallied to signal opposition to EU plans. 

The situation in Brussels.

Thousands of farmers, including Hungarians, are sending a message to @vonderleyen: cutting agricultural subsidies by 20% and sending the money to Ukraine is unacceptable!
They are right❗️ pic.twitter.com/4OrxXO4k1W

— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) December 18, 2025

Orban criticised the proposed 20% cut in agricultural subsidies and the redirection of these funds to Ukraine as unacceptable.

By Jeyhun Aghazada