Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said today that Ukraine cannot win the war with Russia and called for negotiations with Moscow to end the conflict, “AFP” reported.
The Hungarian leader, who is at odds with other members of the European Union over that war and refuses to provide military aid to his Ukrainian neighbor, reiterated his calls for a ceasefire.
“It is clear that the military solution is not working,” he said at the Qatar Economic Forum, adding that the Russian invasion was the result of a “failure of diplomacy”. “If we look at the reality, the numbers, the context and the fact that NATO is not ready to send troops, it is clear that there will be no victory for the poor Ukrainians on the battlefield. This is my position,” stated Orban.
The Hungarian prime minister, who has ties to the Kremlin, is one of the few leaders, if not the only one, in the EU who has not visited Kiev.
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell confirmed today that Hungary had refused to unblock a new tranche of EU military aid to Ukraine, while saying he was “confident” it would be released. According to Viktor Orban, a new European security agreement should be negotiated with Moscow after the ceasefire.
“As a country, Ukraine is of course very important, but in the longer term, from a strategic point of view, the stake is the future security of Europe,” Orban said, adding: “It is clear that without the United States there is no security architecture for Europe. And this war can only will be stopped if the Russians reach an agreement with Washington,” he added.
The Hungarian prime minister also criticized EU leaders for being too “intellectual”. “Relations between Hungary and Sweden must be improved before the Nordic country’s application for NATO membership is approved,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also said today during an economic forum in Qatar, quoted by Reuters.
Sweden and its neighbor Finland applied for NATO membership last year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. However, Sweden’s application to join the alliance has not yet been granted due to Turkey and Hungary, with Budapest highlighting Sweden’s criticism of Orban’s approach to democracy and the rule of law, the agency noted.
“The political relations between Hungary and Sweden are extremely strained,” Orban said. “We don’t want to bring the conflict between us to NATO,” he added. A day has not yet been set when the Hungarian parliament will vote on Sweden’s accession to NATO, which must be ratified by all member states of the alliance.
There will be a NATO summit in July.
This week, Orban is visiting Qatar, with which the Hungarian government began negotiations last year for the purchase of liquefied natural gas. “The negotiations are not over yet,” the Hungarian Prime Minister said today.
Qatar is also interested in Budapest airport, Orban said at the forum, adding that “Qatari citizens are welcome” to Hungary.
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Source: sn.dk
