Orban Rejects Annexing Zakarpattia, Denies Being Putin’s 'Trojan Horse' in New Interview
He casts Hungary as Western, pointing to a Russia–Germany–Turkey security triangle guiding his decisions.
Overview
- In a YouTube interview with Axel Springer chief Matthias Döpfner, Hungary’s prime minister said Budapest would refuse any Russian offer to take Ukraine’s Zakarpattia.
- He rejected accusations that he serves the Kremlin, calling the “Trojan horse” label naive and primitive.
- Pressed on a hypothetical in which the United States divided Europe into Western and Russian spheres, he answered that Hungary belongs to the West.
- He argued Russia will remain part of European politics and described a Russia–Germany–Turkey triangle shaping Hungary’s security policy, adding the Ukraine war could end in the foreseeable future.
- He referenced longstanding concerns over ethnic Hungarians in Zakarpattia, echoing earlier remarks by Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó about risks tied to weapons transiting the region.