Orban calls Ukraine a "buffer state" and offers strategic cooperation

Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban said that Ukraine is a "buffer state" and offered it not integration into the European Union but "strategic cooperation" based on alleged mutual interests. He said that wrote on his page in the social network X.

"Today, Ukraine's fate is to be a buffer state bordering Russia. We are not ready to accept this fate. We were also a buffer country during the Cold War... but we do not want to return to this position... the fact is that the country's address cannot be changed," Orban said.

Orban also said that Hungary offers Ukraine strategic cooperation that will be "pragmatic, flexible and based on mutual interests, not irreversible integration."

"Ukraine's membership in the EU will bring the war to the heart of Europe, and our families should not have to face this risk," the Hungarian prime minister said.

He also noted that Hungary does not support Ukraine's accession to the EU, because, in his opinion, it will "bring the war to the heart of Europe." According to him, these times require "balanced decisions, not theatrical threats."

• on March 14, 2025, President Zelenskyy announced that the decision on Ukraine's membership in the EU only one country – Hungary – is blocking it. Addressing foreign policy and security issues requires the support of all the bloc's member states.
• on June 26, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban announced the results of the propaganda national survey Voks2025 on Ukraine's accession to the EU. He said that the vast majority of Hungarians voted against it.
• on July 8, a spokesperson for the European Commission said LIGA.netthat Hungary also will decide the fate of Ukraine's EU accession negotiations.