Hungary's PM Viktor Orban says Ukraine cannot defeat Russia with NATO's current strategy

Ukraine cannot defeat Russia in the conflict with NATO's present assistance plan and further warned of severe economic repercussions, asserted the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán. Speaking at a press conference alongside Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Vienna, Orban said, “This war in this form cannot be won,” CNN reported. He also added that the strategies of NATO nations of aiding war-torn Ukraine with weapons and training “has shown until now that it will not lead to success.” 

He stressed that European Union must "change their strategy" in order to cope with the Russia-Ukraine conflict and put more emphasis on peace negotiations and the creation of peace proposals than on victory. 

The Hungarian Prime Minister noted, “There will be no peace without a change of strategy. We cannot solve any problem without peace," Anadolu Agency reported. He even warned that the EU would experience a 'war economy' if peacekeeping measures are not taken. He highlighted that an economic slump would result in higher unemployment rates and major issues with both economic and political stability. He added that “It is not clear how we can avoid recession in the EU if the war carries on,” CNN reported.  

'Sanctions cannot be used to undermine Moscow's stability': Hungarian PM 

The PM further added that sanctions cannot be used to undermine Moscow's stability. Orban remarked that it is not a wise course of action to believe that the EU would retain political stability while avoiding economic difficulties in spite of the sanctions, as per a report from Anadolu Agency. 

Apart from this, both leaders cautioned against the potential for a Russian gas embargo by the European Union. Orban stated, “We met a wall just now, and that wall is called a gas embargo, and I would suggest to the EU that we do not knock against that wall,” while Nehammer stressed that such an embargo "is not possible."

Nehammer described the fact that not only Hungary and Austria depend on Russian gas, but German industry is also dependent on Russian gas. He further said that if the German sector crashes, the Austrian industry would follow suit, which might lead to "mass unemployment."  

Meanwhile, earlier, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called for peace negotiations between the United States and Russia in an effort to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine. He targetted the European Union (EU) at a speech in Romania for the bloc's strong stance to cope with the Russia-Ukraine war, as per media reports.  

(Image: AP)