Hungary’s Orban says Ukraine can’t win war as he justifies veto on aid

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban dug in his heels over crucial European Union aid to Ukraine, offering sympathy for his neighbor but nothing more to help it fight off Russia’s invasion.

Speaking in a Bloomberg interview at the Qatar Economic Forum, Orban argued that Ukraine’s military effort is doomed and sending further aid will only lead to more deaths.

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“Emotionally it’s tragic, all of our hearts are with the Ukrainians,” Orban, 59, told Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait on Tuesday. “But I’m talking as a politician who should save lives.”

“There’s no chance to win this war,” he added.

Hungary, the EU nation with the closest ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is blocking a €500 million-euro ($540 million) tranche of EU financial aid to Ukraine. It also opposes new sanctions against Russia.

Orban’s view runs counter to the analysis of Ukrainian allies who’ve been supplying Kyiv with weapons ahead of a counteroffensive that’s expected to begin this spring. While they are sober about the chances of a dramatic breakthrough, they support President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plan to beat back the invaders and reclaim territory.

“The Ukrainians have already demonstrated the capability they have to liberate land and push back the Russians, and the importance of the support they get from NATO allies, the alliance’s secretary general,” Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels in response to Orban’s comments. Stoltenberg added that he was confident that Ukraine can “ensure that President Putin does not win this war.”

The Hungarian leader reiterated his call for an immediate cease-fire — a stance panned by critics as tantamount to calling for Ukraine’s capitulation.

He also echoed the Kremlin by repeating a narrative that frames the war as a proxy conflict between Russia and the US, and said fighting can only stop when Moscow clinches an agreement with Washington. The US has said Ukraine must decide on how and when it’s ready to seek peace.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry denounced the comments as absolving “Russia of responsibility for its aggression.”

“Ukrainians will continue to fight until they completely liberate their territories from Russian occupation, spokesman Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook. “This is the only way not just to restore peace in Ukraine, but to guarantee security in the whole of Europe.”

Orban’s approach to Ukraine and close ties with Russia have only exacerbated tensions with Hungary’s allies in the EU and NATO.

Last week, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced Hungary would block further EU aid to Ukraine and anti-Russian sanctions, citing Kyiv’s decision to put OTP Bank Nyrt., Hungary’s largest lender, on its list of international war sponsors.

The foreign minister reaffirmed Hungary’s stance on Monday at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, drawing rebuke from other EU members.

“I’m disappointed, or rather irritated, by the behavior of our Hungarian friends,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters in Brussels.

OTP maintains business in Russia and Ukraine but it has said that a presidential decree is preventing it from selling its Russian unit. It has rejected claims of supporting Russia’s war and has publicly backed Ukraine.

“It’s a question of principles,” Orban said at the forum. “If a country like Ukraine would like to get your financial support, if you need our money, please respect us and don’t sanction our companies.”

Orban added that he hopes former US President Donald Trump will win reelection next year and that, while he has been at odds with President Joe Biden, it was not good for business to criticize the US.

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