‘In the process of division’ Hungary’s Viktor Orbán says Ukraine will inevitably be split into three parts
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Sunday that he believes Ukraine will ultimately be divided into three sections: a Russian part, a demilitarized part, and a Western part. He also renewed his call for Ukraine not to become part of the E.U., saying this would drag the entire bloc into war. Meduza summarizes Orban’s latest controversial comments.
Speaking at an event held by Hungary’s ruling party, Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claimed that the outcome of Russia’s war in Ukraine had already been determined.
According to the newspaper Magyar Nemzet, Orbán said that Russia had already achieved a military victory; that the U.S. had already acknowledged this; and that Western countries should “come to terms with it,” according to the newspaper Magyar Nemzet. Orbán continued:
What will be Ukraine’s fate? Today, if you look at the course of events and analyze them soberly, Ukraine is in the process of division. Before the war, Ukraine held an important position, existing as a buffer state: 50 percent belonged to the Russians, 50 percent to the West. The war caused that balance to collapse. Today, Europeans are speaking elegantly about security guarantees, which in fact means the partition of Ukraine.
According to Orbán, the “first step” in this direction has “already been taken,” since Western countries have effectively acknowledged that a Russian zone exists and that annexed Crimea is controlled by Russia. “The point of contention is how far from the border of the Russian zone a demilitarized zone should be established. Then there will be a third, Western zone, the boundaries of which we don’t yet know,” the Hungarian prime minister said.
He also spoke out against Ukraine becoming a member of the European Union. “Ukraine’s membership in the E.U. would drag the union into war. Because it never happens that someone attacks one of the member states and the other E.U. countries don’t rush to help. Besides, Ukraine will never be the one to decide whether to go to war with Russia,” Orbán said.
He added that the E.U. and Ukraine should have a strategic partnership in the future. “We don’t want to push Ukraine into a dead end — we’re not against Ukraine. We want a future for Ukraine, because a collapsing neighboring country will not benefit us,” he said, according to Index.
In the past, Viktor Orbán has repeatedly opposed E.U. membership for Ukraine. Politico reported in late August that U.S. President Donald Trump had persuaded Orbán to stop blocking Ukraine’s accession to the bloc.
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