Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán described fears of a Russian attack on the EU and NATO as “ridiculous”.. “With all due respect, I think it’s ridiculous to say that Russia will attack the EU or NATO just because they are not strong enough,” Orbán said in a podcast published on Saturday by Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner. “We are much stronger,” he said in a format called “MD Meeting”.
To justify this, Orbán, who is a right-wing populist, stated that the European Union has a population of 400 million, while Russia only has around 140 million. The military capacity of the 27 EU countries is also much larger than Russia’s. “Russia has failed to fully occupy Ukraine for more than three years. How can we in Europe claim that we are weaker than Russia?”
At the same time, Orbán, who is close to Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin, warned of Russia’s military defeat in Ukraine. “If a nuclear power country loses a conventional war, then I am absolutely sure (…) then nuclear risks are imminent,” said the head of Hungary’s ruling right-wing national party, Fidesz. The Kremlin has repeatedly threatened to use a nuclear bomb since its war of aggression against Ukraine began nearly four years ago.
Orbán criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU).“I am ready to help the German chancellor if I can to bring about peace – but he supports war,” Orbán claimed. This also applies in the EU. Time works “more for Russia than for us.”
In contrast, Orbán praised former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s (CDU) policy towards Russia. “There was a meeting at the European Council where it was just you and me arguing about peace and cooperation,” he claimed. At the same time, he pointed out that they have never agreed on issues such as migration or the environment. “He even yells at me sometimes – and that’s not nice – more often than my wife.”
