Orbán says Ukraine will never join EU or NATO

Reuters reports.

Orbán described Russia's leadership as "hyperrational" and predicted a global power shift from the "irrational" West to Asia and Russia.

"In the next long decades, maybe centuries, Asia will be the dominant center of the world," Orbán stated, citing China, India, Pakistan, and Indonesia as future great powers.

According to him, Western residents, among others, allegedly pushed the Russians to this bloc, Orbán said in a televised speech to ethnic Hungarians at a festival in Baile Tusnad, Romania.

He said that in contrast to the "weakness" of the West, Russia's position in world affairs was rational and predictable, noting that Russia had shown economic resilience in adapting to Western sanctions after the 2014 invasion of Crimea.

Orban, whose government has enacted a series of anti-LGBT measures, claimed Russia gained influence in many parts of the world by opposing LGBTQ+ rights.

"The strongest international appeal of Russian soft power is its opposition to LGBTQ," he said.

He reiterated that Ukraine will never join the EU or NATO, because "we Europeans do not have enough money for that."

"The EU needs to give up its identity as a political project and become an economic and defense project," Orbán added.

• On June 25, Ukraine and Moldova began negotiations on joining the EU. European Commission President von der Leyen congratulated the countries.