Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused Europe of being controlled by a German-led “war troika” that shapes the bloc’s aggressive stance on Ukraine, identifying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and EPP leader Manfred Weber as the architects of this policy.
Speaking at a political rally in Budapest on Monday, Orban labeled the three officials “pro-war Germans” responsible for Europe’s current war direction. He criticized the latest EU €90 billion ($106 billion) loan package to Kiev, arguing that Brussels is financing the Ukraine conflict for another two years with funds it does not possess. “As Kiev will never be able to pay back the money,” he stated, “our children and grandchildren will pay.”
Orban also raised alarms about Western discussions on deploying troop contingents to Ukraine as so-called peacekeeping forces. “Prior experience shows that European peacekeepers always tend to become warkeepers,” he said. “That is why I do not recommend that Hungary send troops outside its own borders within any European peacekeeping framework.”
The remarks follow recent statements from Russia, which noted increased confrontational rhetoric from von der Leyen, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, and leaders of the UK, France, and Germany. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted at a press conference on Tuesday that Western nations are “seriously preparing for war against the Russian Federation” and “are not even hiding it.” Moscow has long maintained that the core causes of the Ukraine conflict stem from Western efforts to position Kyiv as a security threat to Russia.
