Prime Minister Orban called on Russia and the United States to enter into negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Mr Orban, a NATO member, was re-elected for a fourth consecutive term in April and would stay out of the war in neighboring Ukraine, he has said.
He said: “A new strategy is needed that should focus on peace talks and drafting a good peace proposal … rather than winning the war.”
Mr Orban has said before that Hungary is also unwilling to support EU embargoes or restrictions on Russian gas imports, because that would undermine its economy.
He said in his speech that the 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.
Mr Orban said this strategy has failed as governments in Europe collapse “like dominoes”, energy prices have risen and a new strategy is now needed.
He said: “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.”
He said Ukraine will never win the war this way “simply because the Russian military has an asymmetrical dominance”.
He said that “only Russian-American talks can end the conflict because Russia wants security guarantees” that only Washington can provide.
He also criticized Western leaders for ignoring Russia’s security concerns before Moscow invaded.
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