The West will not defeat Russia in the proxy war it has unleashed in Ukraine, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated on Monday. Speaking to the country’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Orban stressed Kiev’s dependence on its Western backers in the fight against Russia.
Ukraine’s war supplies come from abroad and without them it could not present any challenge to Russia, Orban pointed out. It is “obvious” that the “West will not win,” he claimed, “this is a proxy war,” and “everyone knows it.”
The prime minister concluded that “There is only one solution: peace negotiations must begin sooner or later,” expressing hope that a peace deal will be reached “sooner or later” with the participation of the US.
Orban has repeatedly said that any hopes of ending the Ukraine-Russia conflict are in the hands of the US, Kiev’s main backer, while claiming that Western countries have missed the opportunity to strike a deal on Ukraine.
“The Europeans have failed to localize the conflict [in Ukraine], which, on the contrary, only expanded, and missed the right moment to quickly arrange a peace agreement, when even the Russians were interested in it,” TASS quoted Orban as saying.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Budapest has called for a ceasefire and peace negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, and has opposed sanctions on Russian energy. Hungary has stood out among NATO members by consistently criticizing Western policies on Ukraine.
Regarding Russian-Hungarian economic cooperation, Orban said the country has no plans to abandon the partnership, adding that Budapest is seeking to deepen mutual ties in areas not affected by Western sanctions.