Orbán claims security guarantees will lead to Ukraine being split into ‘Russian, demilitarized and western zones’
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has made another
incendiary statement, asserting that ongoing negotiations over security
guarantees for Ukraine will ultimately result in the country’s division into
three zones: a Russian-controlled zone, a demilitarized buffer, and a
western-aligned area. The comments were published by Magyar
Nemzet on Sept. 7.
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.
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