Orban, who is a vocal critic of Western involvement in the Ukraine conflict, has repeatedly warned that ever more escalatory steps by the U.S.-led military bloc could eventually lead to a direct military confrontation with Russia, yielding catastrophic consequences. Russia has also warned the Western backers of Ukraine of the same outcome. So far, no retaliatory moves have been made by Moscow to follow through with its threats, so NATO continues to push further.
On Friday, Orban paid a surprise visit to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Hungarian prime minister’s office clarified that he was on a “peacekeeping mission.” The discussion between the two leaders centered on potential ways to peacefully resolve the Ukraine conflict. Wrapping up the talks, Orban acknowledged that Moscow’s and Kyiv’s positions remain very “far apart.” He added, however, that “we’ve already taken the most important step – establishing contact,” and vowed to continue the effort. –RT
Hungary is a NATO member and has been since 1999. This is not the first time that Hungary has taken a stance that differs from the rest of NATO.
Orban was quoted as saying: “Today, instead of peace, the agenda is the pursuit of war; instead of defense, it is offense.” But when it comes to the U.S., war has always been about offense and involvement in conflicts.
He added that “ever more voices within NATO are making the case for the necessity—or even inevitability—of military confrontation with the world’s other geopolitical power centers.” He warned that this attitude “functions like a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
According to Orban, unless NATO changes tack now, “it will be committing suicide.