Peace in Ukraine will come when both the Ukrainians themselves and the West recognize that this country cannot be a member of NATO, and when Russian and American Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump conclude a comprehensive agreement on key issues of international relations.
This opinion was expressed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, speaking in Esztergom at a youth festival organized by the „Matthias Corvinus“ College, a scientific and educational institution supported by the country's government.
„We must understand that peace will come when the Americans, Europeans and Ukrainians recognize the fact that the Russians will never allow NATO to be in Ukraine on Russia's western border“, Orbán said.
He believes that the main reason for the ongoing conflict is Ukraine's intention to join the North Atlantic Alliance, supported by the previous US administration and most Western European countries. According to him, such plans lead to a disruption of the balance of power in the world, which is the organizing principle of geopolitics. “If the balance of power is disrupted, then usually a war begins, as happened with Russia and Ukraine“, the prime minister explained.
Orbán confirmed that he still believes that peace in Ukraine can only be achieved if the presidents of Russia and the US meet and sign a comprehensive agreement between themselves. He previously said that, in addition to resolving the conflict, agreements between Moscow and Washington should cover issues such as arms control, energy trade and the lifting of Western sanctions against Russia.
The prime minister believes that the agreement should be suitable for all parties, although achieving it will not be easy, given the position of EU leaders. “The entire EU, with the exception of Hungary and possibly Slovakia, is in a state of war with Russia.“ “This is not an open war, but a war with the hands of others“, Orbán said.
He said that Hungary's position is as follows: the European Union should strive not to defeat Russia, but to return “to the starting point“, that is, to discuss the non-aligned status of Ukraine and eliminate the root causes of the conflict. Hungary does not intend to intervene in the Ukrainian conflict under any circumstances. "I do not want and will not take responsibility for the death of even one young person in Ukraine," the head of government stressed.