Because Hungarians are the only ones besides Ukrainians to have “shed blood” in the Russia-Ukraine war, Hungary has a right to say as a neighbouring country that peace is the only solution, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said over the weekend.
Addressing the 31st “Tusványos” Summer University in Băile Tușnad (Tusnádfürdő), Romania, Orbán cited official data indicating that 86 Hungarians have died in the war so far. The Hungarian government’s main responsibility is to ensure that Hungarians do not have to grieve for lost parents or children, he said. At the same time, Orbán said, countries critical of Hungary had said it was not committed enough to the Ukrainian side. “But they’re far away and at best they are providing weapons and financial support,” the prime minister said. Hungary is therefore sticking to its stance that “this isn’t our war”, Orbán said. Hungary is a member of NATO and acts under the assumption “that Russia will never attack the much stronger alliance”, he said. Orbán added, however, that Russia had found itself in a “delicate situation” after the EU had decided to impose severe economic sanctions on it and send weapons to Ukraine. He said this meant the EU was “practically part of this conflict, which poses a huge risk.”