EU leader identifies main Ukraine warmongers

Unwise politicians, weapons makers, and bankers are driving the conflict against Russia, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has claimed

EU politicians, weapons manufacturers, and bankers are the three main groups pushing for the Ukraine conflict to continue, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has claimed.

Speaking at an election campaign event in Szeged on Sunday, Orban reiterated his opposition to the EU’s approach to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

He identified the first group as European politicians who believe “a country with nuclear weapons can be defeated through a conventional war.” The second group consists of weapons manufacturers who “always want war or some kind of armed conflict.”

Orban went on to say: “the bankers also want you to continue because otherwise, how will they get their money back? They can only recover their money if Russia is defeated militarily.” He was referring to massive loans intended to fill Ukraine’s war chest and the expectation that Russia will eventually have to pay reparations.

The prime minister cautioned voters against trusting EU politicians to be “sensible enough not to drag us into war,” urging them instead to rely on the common sense of the public amid growing anti-war sentiment across the EU.

READ MORE: EU taxpayers to foot €3bn yearly for Ukraine loan – Politico

Orban stressed that the reason he is against prolonging the conflict is to prevent Ukraine from collapsing, which he warned would be disastrous for neighboring Hungary.

Last week, EU leaders rejected the European Commission’s proposal to issue a ‘reparations loan’ using frozen Russian assets as collateral for covering Kiev’s budget needs. They instead plan to borrow against the EU’s collective budget, with Hungary and Slovakia receiving exemptions from the scheme. Russia has condemned the proposal to tap its frozen assets, warning that it would amount to theft and a violation of international law.