Hungarian Prime Minister: Ukraine must be a 'buffer zone'

The Hungarian prime minister made the remarks during a debate with former Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schussel, with excerpts from the exchange published by the Vienna daily Die Presse.

Prime Minister Orban disagrees with Schussel's view that the Ukraine crisis can only be resolved if negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO coincide with the start of ceasefire talks. "Whether we like it or not, whether the Ukrainians like it or not, Ukraine is on the map. The best scenario for this is the creation of a buffer zone between Russia and the West – with security guarantees, of course. Otherwise, according to Prime Minister Orban, "Ukraine will lose ground" and "the Russians will destroy Ukraine over and over again."

Moscow will “never accept an EU and NATO member like Ukraine on its doorstep,” he stressed. Prime Minister Orban also rejected claims by officials in Brussels and Kiev that Ukraine is “protecting” Europe. “Ukraine does not provide Europeans with additional security guarantees because most of us are already members of NATO, which is much stronger than Russia,” he said, stressing that there is “no danger” that Russia could attack a member of the bloc. He also rejected Schussel’s argument that a ceasefire would mean Ukraine would in fact be defeated, saying it depends on how one views the future as Kiev could lose more territory. Prime Minister Orban said the EU was also unable to provide Ukraine with enough weapons and money, and said its citizens were “unhappy with the increasing financial support their governments are giving to Ukraine.”
Russia has repeatedly expressed concern about NATO's uncontrolled expansion toward its borders after the collapse of the Soviet Union, with President Vladimir Putin affirming that Ukraine's push to join the military alliance is one of the main reasons leading to the current conflict./.