Hungarian PM: Russia Will Never Allow NATO and EU on Its Borders
Orban says NATO and EU expansion toward Russia guarantees war in Europe, warning that Ukraine’s role must remain a buffer, not a frontline.
Europe | PUREWILAYAH.COM — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has issued a stark warning to NATO and the European Union, stating that Russia will never tolerate their presence on its borders, and that refusing to accept this reality risks triggering a full-scale war in Europe.
Speaking at an anti-war rally in Kaposvar on Saturday, Orban argued that the West must abandon its expansionist approach toward Russia and recognize geopolitical limits that Moscow has repeatedly enforced through military means.
Russia Will Always Respond With War
Orban stated unequivocally that NATO and the EU cannot be positioned directly along Russia’s borders without provoking conflict.
“We must accept that NATO and the European Union cannot be located directly at Russia’s borders, because the Russians will always respond to this with war,” Orban said.
He added that European leaders are ignoring historical and strategic realities, pushing the continent toward direct confrontation with a nuclear power.
Ukraine Must Remain a Buffer Zone
According to Orban, Ukraine should function as a buffer zone between Russia and the Western military-political bloc to prevent war.
“There must always be a buffer zone between the eastern borders of Russia and the West,” he said, arguing that abandoning this principle would make armed conflict inevitable.
Orban warned that Ukraine’s accession to the EU would automatically place the bloc — including Hungary — into direct confrontation with Russia.
Hungary Rejects NATO-EU War Policies
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Hungary has openly opposed anti-Russian policies imposed by NATO and the EU, including sanctions and large-scale arms deliveries to Kiev.
Budapest has consistently criticized Western weapons transfers to Ukraine, warning that they prolong the conflict while increasing the risk of regional escalation driven by Washington and its European allies.
Orban also used the rally to issue a domestic warning, claiming that if the pro-EU Tisza opposition party wins the elections scheduled for April, Hungary would be drawn directly into war.
“They will end up taking our children to war as soldiers,” he warned.
“German War Troika” Controls EU Policy
Earlier this week, Orban accused the European Union of being controlled by what he described as a “German war troika.”
He identified European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Manfred Weber, leader of the European Parliament’s largest bloc, the EPP, as the key figures shaping Europe’s current war policy.
According to Orban, these leaders are driving Europe deeper into confrontation with Russia in line with US strategic objectives.
EU Financing War With Borrowed Money
Orban criticized the €90 billion ($106 billion) EU loan package to Ukraine, adopted late last year, stating that the bloc is financing the war for another two years using borrowed funds.
He warned that European citizens will ultimately bear the economic and political costs of a conflict driven by elite decision-makers detached from public will.
The Hungarian prime minister also rejected proposals by several EU leaders to deploy so-called peacekeepers to Ukraine.
“Prior experience shows that European peacekeepers always tend to become warkeepers,” Orban said, dismissing the idea as another step toward direct military involvement.
Orban’s remarks underscore growing fractures within Europe over the Ukraine war, NATO expansion, and US-led militarization of the continent. As Washington continues to push its allies toward confrontation with Russia, Hungary remains one of the few EU states openly warning that ignoring geopolitical realities will lead Europe into war. (PW)