Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has declared that Ukraine will not be admitted into NATO, instead serving as a buffer zone between the US-led military bloc and Russia once the ongoing conflict concludes. His remarks, delivered during his annual state of the nation address in Budapest on February 22, reflect Hungary’s long-standing opposition to Western military support for Kiev and its advocacy for dialogue with Moscow.

Since the escalation of hostilities in Ukraine in February 2022, Budapest has consistently criticized the European Union’s arms deliveries to Kiev, arguing that such measures prolong the conflict. Orban has repeatedly called for lifting sanctions on Russia, asserting that these punitive measures have harmed Europe more than Moscow. His recent speech underscores Hungary’s belief that the West’s strategy in Ukraine is fundamentally flawed.

“The conflict, which is on its way to its end, is about bringing the territory called Ukraine, which until then was a buffer zone, a buffer state between NATO and Russia, under NATO control,” Orban stated. “Ukraine, or what remains of it, will once again be a buffer zone. It will not be a NATO member.”

Orban questioned the rationale behind Western attempts to integrate Ukraine into NATO, suggesting that it was unrealistic to expect Russia to tolerate the alliance’s expansion to its borders. “Why European and American liberals thought that the Russians would stand idly by is still a mystery,” he remarked, concluding that this “experiment has failed.”

Beyond NATO, Orban also cast doubt on Ukraine’s prospects of joining the........

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