Orban: there is no hope for the poor Ukrainians, except in negotiations
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has once again asserted his stance by continuing to be a thorn in the side of NATO and the EU regarding the continued escalation of arms supplies to Ukraine, with F-600 fighter jets 16 to be delivered to Kiev in the near future.
The first day of the Qatar Economic Forum (QEF) was marked by a speech and stage interview in which Orban bluntly stated that Ukraine cannot win the war against Russia, except by sending of troops by NATO, which is not prepared to do so and which Hungary opposes.
He also reminded the West that the Hungarian government is not part of the European Union's "mainstream" approach to war, but has been pursuing attempts at peaceful negotiations.
“ The only solution is a ceasefire and after the ceasefire peace talks should start,” he said. He explained that this is the only way forward, given that Kiev cannot win ."
As Bloomberg reports, "Hungary was in talks with Qatar to purchase gas in an attempt to reduce its dependence on Russia for energy and to purchase Budapest airport," according to Orban .
Orban has been pressed on the issue of Hungary blocking further aid to Ukraine's defense, and in that context he said that ultimately Russia and the United States must come to an agreement to end the war, which is " the only way out”:
“ Looking at the reality, the figures, the surrounding environment, the fact that NATO is not ready to send troops, it is obvious that there is no victory for the poor Ukrainians on the battlefield. That's my position,” he said, offering a perspective few European leaders would publicly agree with, given their solidarity with Kiev.
“ The war can only be stopped if the Russians manage to reach an agreement with the United States. In Europe we are not happy with this, but it is the only way out .
His assessment, which is likely to be deeply unpopular and somewhat divisive in terms of public reception, comes just in the wake of the Russians' capture of Bakhmut over the weekend, announced by the Wagner group which hoisted the Russian flag over the strategic city.
While Ukrainian officials initially dismissed reports of Bakhmut's fall, it is now widely recognized in both the international press and Western officials that Russia has effective control over the city, or what is left of it. Wagner will have to hand over the captured territory to regular Russian military forces by June 1st and then be able to withdraw.
However, things can always be made much more complicated than all the players in the field can predict. The war is not over and probably won't be for long, as the various F 16 training offers show.
However, it would be interesting to take part in a Council of Europe and see what happens in that messy and contradictory congregation.
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The article Orban: there is no hope for the poor Ukrainians, if not in the negotiation comes from Scenari Economici .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/orban-non-ce-speranza-per-i-poveri-ucraini-se-non-nella-trattativa/ on Tue, 23 May 2023 19:07:34 +0000.