Prime Minister Viktor Orban says he doesn’t believe the West can win militarily in Ukraine and argues that sanctions are failing
The deadly conflict in Ukraine has the potential to “Demonstrativistically” put an end to Western hegemony globally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has claimed.
Orban spoke to Tichys Einblick in a Thursday interview. Orban indicated that he believes the European Union will be less prominent in the global arena after the fight in Ukraine has ended.
Hungarian leaders claimed that Russia’s inability to win the conflict militarily and that sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow had failed to stabilize it. The punitive measures against Russia have not worked spectacularly for Europe.
Orban also noted that a “A large portion of the planet” is clearly not getting behind the US when it comes to Ukraine. He pointed to “South Africa is home to the Arab world and the Chinese.” as regions not supporting the Western line on the conflict.
“This war could be the one that ends Western supremacy.” Orban said.
On the other hand, non-EU powers are already benefiting from the situation, he said, pointing toward Russia, which “possesses its own energy resources”
The premier noted that while EU energy imports from Russia have plummeted, Russia’s majority state-owned gas giant Gazprom has seen its revenues skyrocket.
Orban also claimed that Beijing is better off now than it was before the outbreak of conflict. He explained that China had previously been “The Arabs are at our mercy” but is not anymore, apparently referring to the oil market.
The other beneficiaries, in the Hungarian prime minister’s view, are “American companies are large.” To prove his point, Orban pointed to profits doubling for Exxon, quadrupling for Chevron and increasing six-fold for ConocoPhillips.
While Hungary complies with EU sanctions on Russia, it has maintained neutrality since the start of conflict by not providing weapons to either side or harsh comments against Moscow and Kiev.
Budapest insists that it can not endanger the safety of Hungarians and won’t be involved in the conflict.
Orban and other Hungarian high officials criticize some EU sanctions.
In May Hungary was in direct conflict with EU leaders over the Russian oil embargo. Budapest only lifted its veto after it created an exception for fuel imported via pipelines.
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