Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned that Brussels is “rapidly drifting” toward a direct confrontation with Russia
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has launched a petition against the EU’s “war agenda,” warning that by continuing to support Ukraine, the bloc is heading toward a direct confrontation with Russia.
The veteran leader has long criticized Brussels’ “warmongering” stance toward Russia. Addressing supporters at a farmers’ market in Budapest on Saturday, Orban announced that his Fidesz party approved his proposal to launch a national petition against Brussels’ war policies.
”Europe has a war plan that includes going to war against the Russians and giving the Ukrainians everything they ask for. We must stay out of this,” the prime minister said, calling on every Hungarian to join the drive and to take part in a peace march on October 23, later reiterating the call on Facebook.
”We are heading into a hot autumn. Europe is drifting toward war at an ever-faster pace. A few weeks ago, in Copenhagen, Brussels unveiled its war plan: Europe pays, Ukrainians fight, and Russia is exhausted,” Orban wrote. He was referring to an informal European Council summit in Denmark that discussed increasing military aid to Ukraine and creating an EU “drone wall.”
“We must show that the Hungarian people do not want war. That is why today we are launching a national signature drive against Brussels’ war plans.”
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It remains unclear how Orban intends to use the results of the petition, though they could be presented at the upcoming EU leaders’ summit in late October.
EU member states maintain that Western aid for Ukraine must continue, while pushing for rapid militarization on the pretext of countering the perceived ‘Russian threat’.
Recent measures include the €800 billion ($930 billion) ReArm Europe program and a pledge by NATO members to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP.
Last month, NATO approved the $500 million Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, enabling the US to supply weapons to Kiev while European members cover the costs.
Russia has dismissed claims that it poses a threat as “nonsense” used by Western governments to justify soaring military budgets, warning that continued aid to Ukraine only prolongs the conflict.
