Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Tuesday that Russia has already won the war in Ukraine, breaking ranks with European Union leaders just days before a high-stakes summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In an interview with the “Patriot” YouTube channel, Orban dismissed the conflict as an “open-ended” struggle, instead declaring, “The Ukrainians have lost the war. Russia has won this war.
The only question is when and under what circumstances will the West, who are behind the Ukrainians, admit that this has happened and what will result from all this.”
The remarks came after Orban became the only EU leader on Monday to withhold support for a joint statement affirming Ukraine’s right to determine its future. His position underscores Hungary’s longstanding opposition to military aid for Kyiv and resistance to Ukraine’s EU membership, which he claims would harm Hungarian farmers and destabilize the bloc’s economy.
Orban, in power since 2010, has maintained close ties with Moscow, securing the bulk of Hungary’s energy from Russia and refusing to supply weapons to Ukraine. He argued that Europe missed its chance to negotiate directly with Putin during the Biden administration and now risks being sidelined as Trump and Putin meet in Alaska on Friday.
“If you are not at the negotiating table, you are on the menu,” Orban said, adding that the EU’s joint declaration made Europe appear “ridiculous and pathetic.” He criticized European leaders for trying to influence U.S.–Russia talks from the outside:
“When two leaders sit down to negotiate with each other, and you’re not invited there, you don’t rush for the phone, you don’t run around, you don’t shout in from the outside.”
The comments highlight deep divisions within the EU as Ukraine battles fresh Russian offensives in the east and prepares to lobby Trump directly in a virtual meeting before the summit.
Written By Rodney Mbua
