Orban Says Hungary Needs Ukraine as Buffer Between It and Russia

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his country is interested in preserving Ukraine as a buffer between Hungary and Russia, arguing that Budapest’s security is better protected if it does not share a border with Moscow.

Speaking in parliament on Monday, March 9, Orban said Hungary had historically benefited from having another state between it and Russia.

“For us, it was not advantageous to be a direct neighbor of the Soviet Union,” Orban said. “We are interested not in weakening Ukraine, but in strengthening it. There must always be something – you can even call it Ukraine – between Russia and Hungary.”

He added that Hungary’s security could be guaranteed more effectively if the country did not border Russia.

“We look at the world not from the perspective of Ukrainians, but from the perspective of Hungarians, and the security of Hungarians can be better guaranteed if we are not neighbors with Russia,” Orban said.

At the same time, the Hungarian leader reiterated that his government opposes Ukraine joining the European Union.

“We do not want to let them into the European Union. They already behave as if they were members, making demands and issuing threats,” Orban said.

Instead, he proposed negotiating a strategic agreement between the EU and Ukraine that would define future relations without granting Kyiv full membership.

Orban also warned that Hungary could block the transit of strategically important goods to Ukraine through Hungarian territory if Kyiv continued to pressure Budapest on issues including energy and EU integration.

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