PM Orban quoted by Russian media

The Hungarian prime minister's speech at the Tranzit political festival was covered by TASS, Russia's state-owned news agency.

Tihany, 2023. augusztus 25. A Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda által közreadott képen Orbán Viktor miniszterelnök (j) a Tranzit politikai fesztiválon Tihanyban 2023. augusztus 25-én. A kormányfõ mellett Bohár Dániel házigazda (b). MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Fischer Zoltán Fotó: Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Fischer Zoltán

The Western countries' strategy with regard to the conflict in Ukraine is deeply flawed, and it's the Ukrainians themselves who must pay for this mistake, Russia's state-owned TASS news agency has said.

TASS also made mention of comments made by PM Orban during a discussion, namely that he was practically the only EU leader who spoke out for the localization of the conflict in Ukraine, and against the delivery of weapons there.

To the contrary, the EU has given this conflict a global character, because if it provides money and weapons and the Ukrainians give their lives, the Russians will be defeated. But it turned out that this strategy does not lead to victory over the Russians

 − PM Orban said. 

This strategy will only prolong the conflict and lead to more and more people dying, with some 600-800 deaths registered each and every day. Mr Orban considers this as a political and strategic mistake, for which everyone pays a high price, but Ukrainians are paying the most. 

Hungary's premier also explained that in the EU it's not customary to express such views in public, because you get booed. The Hungarian government will not change its position and calls for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks. Hungary believes that a cessation of hostilities should be achieved as soon as possible, followed by the start of work on a peaceful plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

Cover photo: The photo released by the Prime Minister's Press Office shows Hungarian PM Viktor Orban (r) at the Tranzit political festival in Tihany, on August 25, 2023. Show host Daniel Bohar is seen sitting next to him (l). (Photo: MTI/Prime Minister's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)