Hungary’s pro-Putin Prime Minister Viktor Orban claims Western sanctions against Russia have failed and there is NO chance of peace in Ukraine unless US talks with Moscow
- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says sanctions against Russia have failed
- He says the EU needs a new strategy focused on peace talks
- Hungary is 85% dependent on Russian gas and has not supported EU embargoes
HungaryThe pro-Putin prime minister has said the war in Ukraine will not end until peace talks are held between Russia and America.
Viktor Orban said sanctions against Moscow have not worked and that the European Union needs a new strategy to end the conflict.
“A new strategy is needed that should focus on peace talks and drafting a good peace proposal… instead of winning the war,” Orban said in a speech in Romania.
Although Hungary is a member of NATOOrban has maintained a strong relationship with Vladimir Putin throughout the war in Ukraine and has continuously advocated a softer Western stance on Russia.
Orban also reiterated that Hungary would stay out of the war in neighboring Ukraine.
So far, Hungary has not supported any EU embargoes or restrictions on Russian gas imports, as that would undermine its economy, which is about 85% dependent on Russian gas imports.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the EU must find a new solution to end the war in Ukraine as sanctions have not worked
Orban suggested the only way Putin can stop his invasion of Ukraine is if peace talks take place between Russia and the US
He said in his speech that Western strategy towards Ukraine is built on four pillars – that Ukraine can win a war against Russia with NATO weapons, that sanctions would weaken Russia and destabilize its leadership, that sanctions would harm Russia more than Europe, and that the world would stand in support of Europe.
Orban said this strategy has failed because governments in Europe are collapsing ‘like dominoes’, energy prices have risen and a new strategy was now needed.
“We are in a car with a flat tire in all four tires: it is absolutely clear that the war cannot be won this way,” Orban told his supporters.
He said Ukraine will never win the war this way “simply because the Russian military has an asymmetrical dominance.”
So far, all peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have failed, but a deal has been signed to export grain
Orban said there was no chance of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
“Because Russia wants security guarantees, this war can only be ended with peace talks between Russia and America,” he said.
Progress appeared to have been made when Ukraine and Russia signed a grain export agreement with Turkey and the UN, the first breakthrough since the start of the conflict.
The agreement was to reopen Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea to grain exports, Turkey and the United Nations said, raising hopes that an international food crisis, exacerbated by the Russian invasion, could be alleviated.
However, Russian missiles hit a grain factory in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa in an “outrageous” attack just hours after the landmark food supply deal.
A Ukrainian military spokesman said Kalibr cruise missiles were aimed at a grain processing plant this morning, but claimed they “inflicted no significant damage.”
Exports will continue as planned, she added.
President Zelensky wrote via Telegram: “This only proves one thing: whatever Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to carry it out.”
Russia promised Turkey it had “nothing to do” with the airstrike, the country’s defense minister said.