Viktor Orban: Fast-Tracking Ukraine Into the EU May Trigger Europe–Russia Conflict

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán declared that the European Union’s plan to admit Ukraine by 2030 could lead to a military confrontation between the bloc and Russia. He made this statement in a post on Facebook, noting that the platform belongs to Meta, a company banned in Russia.

Photo: flickr.com by European People's Party, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Viktor Orban

Orbán recalled that officials in Brussels are discussing an expanded armament program designed to ensure that the union is “ready for war” at the start of the next decade.

“Brussels is preparing for war with Russia, and it already has a date for entering the war: 2030,”

the prime minister said. He linked these plans to the stated goal of accelerating Ukraine’s accession process to meet the same target year.

Orbán emphasized that the involvement of one EU member state in an armed conflict automatically draws the entire union into it, reminding readers of the bloc’s mechanisms of collective responsibility.

On 17 November, European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius proposed that, after the conflict ends, Ukrainian troops should be stationed in every EU country bordering Russia.

On 16 November, Orbán said claims that Russia might attack the EU or NATO were “laughable.” He argued that Moscow lacks the resources for such an operation but warned that continued escalation in Ukraine increases the risk of a third world war. According to him, Europe must demonstrate strength at the negotiating table rather than on the battlefield.