Orban says Ukraine’s fall would be “disaster” for Hungary, citing energy ties

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban claimed that his country has no interest in Ukraine's collapse, warning it would create serious problems for Hungary.

"The collapse of Ukraine would be a serious problem for Hungary. So the collapse of Ukraine is not only not in Hungary's interests, but we must achieve an excellent deal to prevent this from happening," Orban said in a speech, parts of which were published on his X account, according to Europeiska Pravda.

The Hungarian leader emphasized that stability in the neighboring country holds significant importance for Hungary, which supplies electricity and gas to Ukraine. "Make no mistake: Ukraine's collapse would be a disaster for Hungary. Stability next door matters. Hungary supplies 44% of Ukraine's electricity and 58% of its gas," he wrote.

However, Orban framed his concern within his long-standing call for negotiations. "Meanwhile, the war weakens Ukraine day by day. Peace is the only thing that can strengthen it. Anyone who truly stands with Ukraine must want peace, and must want it now," he stated on X.

The statement contrasts with Orban's previous positions on Ukraine. Earlier, the Hungarian prime minister called the EU's credit to Ukraine "an extremely bad decision" and "lost money."

Orban has also expressed doubt about whether Russia actually attacked Ukraine. In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reminded Orban of Hungary's alliance with the Nazis during World War II.

The Hungarian prime minister has consistently advocated for immediate peace negotiations rather than military support for Ukraine and vetoed all EU decisions in favor of Ukraine.