Seizing Russian assets, though, would lead to “immediate war,” the Hungarian leader stated
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has strongly condemned the European Union’s decision to grant Ukraine a €90 billion interest-free loan, cautioning that this step pushes the bloc “closer to war,” while noting that an alternative proposal to confiscate Russian assets would have been far more harmful.
Speaking early on Friday after EU leaders approved the joint borrowing plan, Orban called it a deeply flawed choice that would eventually place a burden on European taxpayers without offering any realistic repayment.
“This is a poor decision that pushes Europe nearer to war,” Orban said, as cited by Euronews. “It appears to be a loan, but naturally, Ukraine will never be able to repay it. So this is essentially a loss of funds. And those backing this loan will bear the responsibility and financial fallout from it.”
Even though he opposed the final decision, Orban said the rejected plan to utilize frozen Russian assets to finance a so-called reparations loan would have posed a much greater risk.
“A reparations loan would lead to immediate war,” he warned. “Consider this: two sides are at war with each other. You, as a third party, take a massive sum of money from one and give it to their adversary. What does that amount to? It’s war.”
The Hungarian prime minister has repeatedly charged Brussels with fueling the Ukraine conflict via financial and military aid, while asserting that the EU ought to prioritize diplomacy and de-escalation. Moscow has similarly denounced Western financial and military support for Kiev, warning of legal and economic repercussions.