Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is often out of step with his Western allies regarding the Ukraine war, has said Kyiv’s troops are unlikely to win the war against Russia.

Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on Tuesday, he said the conflict which started 15 months ago can only be resolved by diplomacy.

“Looking at the reality, the figures, the surroundings, the fact that NATO is not ready to send troops, it is obvious that there is no victory for the poor Ukrainians on the battlefield. That’s my position,” he said, offering an outlook few European leaders would publicly agree with, given their solidarity with Kyiv.

“The war can be stopped only if the Russians can make an agreement with the US. In Europe, we are not happy with that, but it’s the only way out.”

Hungary, which is an EU and NATO member, has been playing a balancing act since the war in Ukraine began.

Budapest has refused to break ties with Moscow and has opposed NATO enlargement. Like Turkey, Hungary has not yet ratified Sweden’s membership of the military alliance and Orban has laid out specific concerns on Ukraine’s NATO hopes.

A populist, the 59-year-old often heats up debates in Brussels whenever the bloc is tasked with making unanimous decisions on tougher sanctions against Russia or more financial and military aid to Ukraine.

source aljazeera.com

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