“This is not our war”: Orban calls on EU to withdraw support for Ukraine

The AP reports that Orban said the EU fanned the flames of war when it imposed sanctions on Russia and provided Ukraine with money and weapons instead of seeking peace talks.

“When Russia launched its attack, the West didn’t isolate the conflict but elevated it to a pan-European level. The war in Ukraine is not a conflict between the armies of good and evil, but between two Slavic countries that are fighting against one another. This is their war, not ours,” Orban said. 

He called Hungary a part of the Western world, but emphasized that Budapest would not end its relations with Russia because it was against national interests.

“We are maintaining our economic relationship with Russia, and in fact, we recommend that the entire Western world do the same, because without relations, there will not be a ceasefire nor peace talks,” he said.

• On February 18, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that he had traveled to Minsk to call for a ceasefire and the start of peace talks.