Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán warns, suggesting that Europe is getting closer to a conflict with Russia, reports Reuters and News.bg.
Orbán believes that the continent is now deeply entangled in the Ukrainian crisis. Speaking on Kosut radio, Orban noted a growing momentum within the EU and NATO towards military preparedness. He emphasized that war does not break out overnight, but follows a sequence of discussion, preparation and ultimately destruction
„We have passed the discussion and are now in the preparatory phase, balancing on the edge of devastation”, warned Orban.
Orban has previously expressed skepticism about the likelihood of Russia attacking a NATO member, given Russia's ongoing struggles in Ukraine. He sees increased talk of a Russian threat as a precursor to more intense Western involvement in Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently hinted at a change in strategy, suggesting it was time for alliance members to review restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine. Ukrainian leaders are now pushing for more freedom to target Russian territories, a move that has divided Western nations.
NATO member Hungary has expressed its reluctance to join the alliance's long-term support plan for Ukraine, calling it a “mad mission”. Orbán finds the discussion of sending French military instructors to Ukraine and allowing Ukrainian forces to use Western weapons against Russian targets particularly troubling. He claims that such actions bring NATO closer to direct conflict.
Orban categorically warned that a NATO mission in Ukraine could escalate into a global conflict, endangering the safety of Alliance members.
"It is absurd that NATO, which is supposed to protect us, should involve us in a world war. It's like a firefighter deciding to put out a fire with a flamethrower," he noted.