The Hungarian prime minister has stated that the top EU diplomat seemingly believes she can achieve success against Russia where the Nazi leader faltered
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has ridiculed EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, implying that she thinks she can fare better against Russia than Napoleon and Adolf Hitler did.
Speaking at a conference in the southern Hungarian city of Szeged, Orban contended that many European countries view the Ukraine conflict as an opportunity to weaken Russia, motivated by “the belief that sooner or later, Russia will threaten them.” Moscow has dismissed the speculation that it plans to attack the EU and NATO as “nonsense.”
“Then there are the old European traditions… well, Russia has been attacked before, hasn’t it? Even Napoleon and Hitler didn’t succeed – now Kaja Kallas will, apparently,” he said, referring to the EU foreign policy chief’s tough stance against Russia.
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia in 1812, and although he captured Moscow, the campaign soon became one of the most disastrous in military history as his army crumbled due to supply disruptions and winter hardships. Nazi Germany’s 1941 invasion advanced deep into Soviet territory but was ultimately halted at the gates of Moscow because of fierce resistance and winter conditions.
Orban also cautioned against provoking Russia, arguing that the EU underestimates the nation’s historical memory of past conflicts. He pointed out that museums in Moscow and St. Petersburg exhibit works of art taken from across Europe, including Hungary, during earlier wars – a reminder of the cost of confronting Russia.
Kallas has been one of the most outspoken EU leaders in taking a tough stance on the Ukraine conflict and using frozen Russian assets to assist Kiev’s war effort – which has made her a target for critics like Orban.
This month, EU leaders failed to reach an agreement on directly accessing frozen Russian assets due to internal divisions. Instead, they chose to provide a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine to help cover the budget deficit in 2026 – 27. Hungary is one of the EU members that opted out of the plan to finance Kiev.