Orbán claims security guarantees will lead to Ukraine being split into ‘Russian, demilitarized and western zones’

Orbán said current European discussions on security guarantees already “effectively acknowledge” the existence of a “Russian zone,” and are now focused only on its size and structure. The issue of a so-called demilitarized zone also remains open, he added.

“The fate of Ukraine appears to be sealed. Today, Europe is ‘elegantly’ pondering security guarantees, but these guarantees in fact mean the partition of Ukraine,” Orbán claimed. “The outcome will be a Russian zone, a demilitarized zone, and a western zone. The Russian zone already exists. Today’s debate is merely about how many regions it should include.”

The Hungarian leader again rejected Ukraine’s potential accession to the European Union and NATO, claiming it would provoke war with Russia and destroy the European economy. Instead, he called for a strategic agreement with Moscow that would involve Ukraine abandoning its aspirations to join Euro-Atlantic institutions.

On Sept. 4, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine was willing to consider freezing the war along the current front line. He emphasized that a final decision on halting hostilities would be made by Ukraine’s president.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to reports of potential territorial concessions to Russia by stating that the issue of Ukraine’s borders is enshrined in the country’s Constitution. “No one will back down from that, and no one can,” he said, adding that Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupiers or reward Russia for its war.

According to Zelenskyy, any territorial concessions would serve as a launchpad for further Russian aggression against all of Europe.

On Sept. 3, Zelenskyy suggested a possible Korean-style end to the war in Ukraine, referencing South Korea’s economic success despite never having signed a peace treaty with North Korea.