Hungary’s Prime Minister: Europe is pursuing a “war policy”

BERLIN

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Monday that Europe was also pursuing a “war policy” in view of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, meaning that it was time to move from a policy of war to a policy of peace.

In an interview with the newspapers Bild and Welt, which are part of the German Axel Springer Group, Orban criticized Europe’s attitude towards the war and said: “I am sorry to have to say this, but Europe also has a war policy.”

He called on the continent to “pursue a policy independent of the United States”: “Because the real victims of the two warring sides are the European economy and the European people.”

The Hungarian President stated that, in his opinion, there will be no frontal solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and stressed: “The people, we, the world want peace. Stop killing each other.”

“Let us start negotiations or at least recognize that there is no solution on the ground,” he demanded.

Recalling his meetings in Kyiv and Moscow, he noted: “I had the opportunity to speak with both the Ukrainian and Russian presidents. Believe me, the next two or three months will be much more brutal than we thought.”

He stressed that now is the right time to move from a policy of war to a policy of peace.

“The main argument is that no human life should be lost,” he said. “That is the most important moral motivation.”

“But it is also in Europe’s interest, because what is happening here is very bad for us,” he criticized.

Noting that many European politicians “immediately want an immediate solution that does not exist,” Orban said: “The road to peace begins when those who are at war or on the verge of war want peace.”

“War does not fall from the sky,” he said, adding: “War is the result of the decisions of certain people. That is why we have to find those world leaders.”

“What are China, the US and the EU doing?” asked the Hungarian politician.

“China has a peace plan. America has a war policy,” he explained. “Europe is simply copying the American position instead of pursuing its own strategic approach.”

Orban further argued that the ongoing war would never have happened if former German Chancellor Angela Merkel had remained in office, “because Merkel has the ability, understanding and skill to isolate conflicts that are bad for Europe.”

*Written by Merve Berker

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