Orbán says Ukraine not fighting for Hungary, renews call for negotiations with Russia

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Ukraine is not fighting on behalf of his country and reaffirmed that Hungary will not support Kyiv’s EU accession or Brussels’ "war strategy", stressing instead the need for negotiations with Russia to restore peace in Europe.

Speaking after a EU summit that he likened to being “more bruising than a cage fight,” Orbán said Hungary came under coordinated pressure from Croatia, Germany, and the European Commission, as well as from domestic opposition parties urging closer alignment with Brussels on sanctions and energy policy, the PM's Secretary of State for International Communication Zoltan Kovacs wrote on X, Caliber.Az reports. 

☢️ @PM_ViktorOrban: We live in the shadow of World War III, and it's time to leave it behind

🥊 Prime Minister Viktor Orbán described the latest EU summit as more bruising than a cage fight, stressing that Hungary continues to resist pressure over Ukraine’s EU accession and the… pic.twitter.com/V2FfvxxkU8

— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) October 2, 2025

“It may be your defense line, but it is not ours. The Ukrainians are not fighting for us, and we never asked them to,” Orbán said, rejecting the notion that the conflict in Ukraine is “our war” for Europe.

He warned that the EU’s current strategy rests on the hope of exhausting Russia in a drawn-out war of attrition — one that, in his view, will “cost countless lives and drain European economies without guaranteeing victory.” Instead, Orbán reiterated Hungary’s alternative: “launching negotiations with Russia to establish a new European security framework that restores balance and peace on the continent.”

“The truth is, we live in the shadow of the threat of world war. This benefits no one. We must put an end to it with an agreement that brings back stability to Europe,” he said.

Orbán also pushed back against accusations from Croatia that Hungary profits from Russian energy imports, explaining that the country relies on Russian oil and gas because of its geography and infrastructure.

“Alternative routes via Croatia cannot replace the necessary volumes,” he said, adding that Western countries also continue to purchase Russian energy indirectly “paying far higher sums than Hungary through relabeled imports.”

On the economic costs, the prime minister noted that Hungary has suffered from sanctions, inflation, and high energy prices while the EU sends tens of billions of euros to Ukraine. He argued that some in Brussels use the war to “centralize power and debt, accelerating moves towards a federal Europe,” while the arms industry and international financiers profit, and the Baltic states seek to weaken Russia.

Although acknowledging that Hungary’s stance remains in the minority in Brussels, Orbán insisted it reflects the "will of ordinary Europeans who want peace."

“We do not believe in a frontline victory. Hundreds of thousands will die, Europe will burn through vast amounts of money, and competitiveness will sink further. The path forward is negotiation, not escalation,” he said.

By Sabina Mammadli