RT reported that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that instead of joining NATO, Ukraine will become a buffer zone between the US-led military bloc and Russia when the Russia-Ukraine conflict ends.
Speaking in Budapest on February 22, Mr. Orban said that the ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe is essentially an effort by the West to put Ukraine under NATO control. For Mr. Orban, Ukraine is a buffer zone between Russia and NATO.
The Hungarian Prime Minister continued to criticize, saying that the West had underestimated Russia's response to moves to expand influence in the region, especially the push for Ukraine to get closer to NATO.
Why Europe and the US thought the Russian would be lenient is still a mystery, Orban said, adding that the Wests expansion plan had failed.
The Hungarian leader noted that Ukraine's ability to join NATO or the EU still depends on Hungary's consensus. According to RT, this is an indication that Budapest could block Kiev's membership if it affects national interests.
Previously, in December 2024, Mr. Orban declared that the conflict in Ukraine could not end as Europe wished. He also acknowledged that Ukraine is getting closer to the risk of failure and affirmed that this is no longer possible.
Since the conflict broke out in February 2022, Hungary has repeatedly denied the West's supply of weapons to Ukraine. The Hungarian Prime Minister has repeatedly called on Europe to lift sanctions against Russia as well as resolve the conflict through dialogue.
On the Russian side, the country has long considered Ukraine's ambition to join NATO and the military bloc's moves to strengthen military infrastructure in areas near Russia's borders as the main causes of the conflict. Russia has repeatedly declared this a proxy war waged by the West against Moscow.
