Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán believes that the armed conflict in Ukraine will end in the foreseeable future, Russian President Vladimir Putin is interested in establishing peace, and NATO countries should not fear a Russian attack.
“I think we are very close to achieving peace“, he said regarding Ukraine in a conversation with Matthias Döpfner, CEO of the German media group Axel Springer, in his show, which was broadcast on YouTube on the evening of November 15.
The prime minister did not explain what he based his forecast on, but noted that ending the Ukrainian conflict requires “a united position of the West“. Meanwhile, he said, US President Donald Trump is making efforts to achieve peace, while EU leaders insist that Ukraine continue hostilities to ensure more favorable conditions on the battlefield.
When asked if Putin is interested in peace talks, Orbán replied: “Yes“. When asked why, the prime minister replied: “Because war has a price“. According to him, this price is expressed in human lives and economic losses.
Orbán believes that in view of this, Russia would like to end the conflict as soon as possible, but at the same time seeks to achieve its own goals. Once this happens, “there will be no point in continuing the war“, he said, answering in the affirmative when asked whether Moscow would be able to take control of the entire territory of Donbas.
Orbán confirmed that he remains convinced that it is impossible to defeat Russia because it is a nuclear power. At the same time, he said that Russia is inferior to NATO in conventional weapons and therefore members of the alliance should not be afraid from an attack from its side. According to the head of the Hungarian government, Western countries should be militarily strong, but their strength should be demonstrated at the negotiating table.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan believes that the Ukrainian conflict is currently coming to an end.
„At the moment, in my opinion, this war is the closest to stopping. We see that all the conditions for a ceasefire are already ripe“, he said on the A Haber television channel.
Fidan said that it is necessary to „hold the necessary negotiations and take action“.
„We have proposals on this issue. I hope they will be implemented“, the foreign minister added.
Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the „Other Ukraine“ movement and former leader of the banned „Opposition Platform – For life“, said in an interview with TASS that he believes that Ukraine “will not survive as a state“ in the future and that he considers “the unification of Ukrainians with Russia“ a strategic goal.
According to him, “The Other Ukraine“ sees its work as a confrontation with the current Ukrainian authorities, which he characterizes as a “criminal, terrorist regime“. He noted that the movement advocates communicating its position with foreign partners, including participants in the “BRICS-Europe“ symposium, where meetings are held with representatives of national parliaments from European countries.
“I do not see Ukraine as a state in the future. Our strategic goal is the unification of Ukrainians with Russia“, he said.
Medvedchuk also said that, in his opinion, there are supporters of integration with Russia in the very Ukraine and that “life within Russia“ is the best future for Ukrainians.
He called the preservation of Ukraine as a separate state a threat to both Russia and the country's residents, claiming that “in any format, Ukraine will become a springboard for the collective West“.