Orbán seeks to ensure non-participation in missions outside of the defense alliance’s territory.
The Hungarian leader said lawyers are working on how Hungary can exist as a member of NATO and not participate in the alliance’s action outside NATO territory, according to the report.
"There's no question of NATO getting involved in wars outside its territory, with non-NATO countries," Orbán was quoted as saying.
Orbán — who has maintained close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin even after Moscow ordered an all-out invasion of Ukraine — has also said Russia cannot win the war against Ukraine. "If the Russians were strong enough to defeat the Ukrainians in one go, they would have been defeated; but that's not what we are seeing," he said.
The Hungarian prime minister added that Russia won’t attack the West. "NATO's strength is not comparable to Ukraine's. It's a hundred times, maybe a thousand times, so I don't think it's logical to assume that Russia, which can't even deal with Ukraine, would suddenly come in and take on the whole Western world," Orbán was quoted as saying.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Hungary’s persistent reluctance to support Ukraine has slowed down several EU decisions on supporting Kyiv, as they often require the consensus of the bloc’s 27 countries.
"How many more weapons will we send? How much more money will we send?" Orbán asked in the interview. "This gives rise to the darkest visions,” he said.
"What is happening today in Brussels and Washington — perhaps more in Brussels than in Washington — is a kind of mood of preparation for a possible direct military conflict; we can safely call it: preparation for Europe to go to war," Orbán warned in the interview.
Hungary’s leader has also cheered former U.S. President Donald Trump’s bid for reelection. Some other EU capitals fear that if Trump wins a second term, Orbán could welcome a potential Trump initiative to bring the Ukraine conflict to an end by striking a peace deal with Moscow and ceding territory that the Kremlin has claimed.
A senior official of a NATO country, granted anonymity to speak freely, said: “It’s not a surprise given his close ties with Trump and Putin. Let’s wait and see what Szijjártó tells us in Prague next week,” referring to Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó.
In July, Hungary takes over the presidency of the Council of the EU, which gives Budapest an influence on the agenda-setting.
Barbara Moens and Stuart Lau contributed reporting.
https://www.politico.eu/article/hungary-nato-prime-minister-viktor-orban-country-russia-vladimir-putin-west-official/
