Excerpt
January 27, 2023.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, at a meeting with journalists in Budapest, outlined his position on the current situation of the Russian-Ukrainian war, from which it follows that he does not believe in Ukraine's victory and believes that it is gradually turning into an uncontrollable ruin.
It is reported by Evropeyska Pravda.
Orbán received 15 journalists in Budapest, among whom was the editor-in-chief of the American Conservative, Rod Dreher, who outlined the main theses of the Hungarian prime minister. We present his retelling with separate quotes below.
According to Dreher, at the meeting, Orban said that he believes the West should understand that Putin cannot afford to lose the war and will not lose because there will be elections in Russia next year and he cannot go for them as the president who lost the war.
Besides, according to him, Russia cannot allow NATO's presence in Ukraine. Orban said he believes the time has long passed when Russia could win Ukraine and establish a pro-Russian government in the country.
"If Russia had won a quick victory, it would have been possible, but now it is hopeless," the Hungarian prime minister said.
Therefore, according to Orbán, Russia's goal is to turn Ukraine into an uncontrollable ruin so that the West cannot declare it "as a prize." According to him, the Russians have already succeeded in this, since now Ukraine, like Afghanistan, is "no man's land".
According to Orbán, the West does not understand that in the war in Ukraine time plays in favor of Russia, because it is a huge country and can mobilize a huge army. Ukraine, Orbán said, cannot do this.
The Hungarian prime minister also noted that the direct participation of NATO troops in the war cannot be ruled out. Orban believes that if the upcoming spring offensive of the Russians is successful, then NATO member states will have to consider sending troops to Ukraine.
"It sounds crazy today, but if you look at the trend of how we got here, you can't rule it out today... The West is at war with Russia. That's the reality. Every day we penetrate deeper and deeper," he said.
Orbán believes that the West is only pretending that it is not at war with Russia, but by sending more and more weapons and approaching real military intervention, Western leaders are playing an extremely dangerous game with themselves, Russia and Western public opinion, the Hungarian prime minister said.
Orban himself opposes the direct participation of Western troops in the war, since "no one will emerge victorious from this war."
When asked whether Putin could use nuclear weapons, Orbán replied that he did not rule out such a possibility. He clarified that he was talking about tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield, not mushroom-like clouds over Warsaw and Berlin.
He also said that if Ukrainians cross the Russian border with Western weapons, "the future will be so bright that the West will have to wear sunglasses."
Although Ukraine is making progress in the war, Orbán does not believe that this will continue in the long run. He points to the production capacity of the Russians and argues that in wars the Russians are traditionally weaker at the beginning, but later they "cannot be stopped."
Earlier, Orbán said Hungary would veto any European Union sanctions against Russia relating to nuclear power.
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