Orbán: Hungary must stay out of Ukraine war, rejects EU’s approach

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has made clear that Hungary will not participate in the conflict in Ukraine, emphasising the country’s need to avoid being drawn into the war.

Speaking after the EU summit in Copenhagen, Orbán outlined his government’s position, highlighting fundamental disagreements with the European Union’s strategy toward the ongoing conflict, Caliber.Az reports via the prime minsiter's Secretary of State for International Communication Zoltan Kovacs.

“We don’t want to die for Ukraine,” Orbán said.

🕊️ @PM_ViktorOrban: We don’t want to die for Ukraine

🎙️ Hungary must stay out of the war in Ukraine—that was the core message from Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his latest interview, delivered after attending the EU summit in Copenhagen.

⚖️ The prime minister dismissed the… pic.twitter.com/sCTL35k9Jr

— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) October 3, 2025

The prime minister dismissed the war debate within the EU as more than just a difference of opinion.

“It’s not a difference of views, it’s a difference of actions,” he stated, pointing to a widening rift between Hungary’s stance and Brussels' approach.

Orbán criticised the EU’s strategy on the war as a “fundamental error,” rejecting the assumption that economic pressure would force Russia to retreat.

“The assumption that Russia will run out of money before Europe does, and that this economic exhaustion would force a Russian retreat, has not materialized. This is all based on a delusion,” he warned, referencing the €170-€180 billion spent by the EU so far.

Highlighting the unprecedented nature of the conflict, Orbán said, “It is unprecedented in the history of warfare that the opposing sides refuse to negotiate.”

He urged the EU to stop pushing Ukraine toward further conflict and instead work toward initiating talks with Russia.

“The longer the war goes on, the more people will die,” he said.

One key point of contention for Hungary is Ukraine’s potential accession to the European Union. Orbán reiterated that EU membership requires unanimous approval from all 27 member states, a threshold Hungary will not meet.

“The Hungarian people do not want to be in a union with Ukraine,” he declared, warning that Ukraine’s accession would effectively drag Hungary into the war.

While expressing sympathy for Ukraine’s “heroic struggle,” the prime minister was clear: “We sympathize with the heroic Ukrainian struggle, but we don’t want to share their fate.”

Instead of full EU membership, Orbán said Hungary supports a bilateral partnership with Ukraine similar to agreements with the U.K. andTürkiye.

“If we take in Ukraine, we are at war with Russia. We don’t want to die for Ukraine,” he stressed.

In light of these differences, Orbán announced plans for a national signature campaign against what he called Brussels’ war plans.

“We need political reinforcement to make it clear: Hungary does not support any war strategy,” he said, warning that if opposition parties such as Tisza or DK come to power, Hungary could be drawn into the conflict and pressured to fund Ukraine’s war efforts at the expense of Hungarian families.

By Sabina Mammadli