The Ukrainian military conflict is of particular concern to Budapest because the Hungarian national minority lives there, the head of the Hungarian government Viktor Orbán said in an interview with Il Giornale.
Responding to a question from an Il Giornale journalist about Hungary’s position on the war in Ukraine, Viktor Orbán said:
“Hungary borders Ukraine. There are Hungarian citizens from the Magyar minority in Ukraine who are fighting with the Ukrainian army and dying, we are the only EU country whose citizens are dying in Ukraine. We are at a crossroads: either isolate the conflict and find a diplomatic way or go deeper into war. If we allow Ukraine with weapons, which Italy also supplies, to strike Russia, there will be consequences in the form of a strong Russian reaction, and the risk of NATO involvement will be one step away.”
The Hungarian politician also said that he disagrees with the European strategy regarding the Ukrainian conflict. Orbán explained:
“The EU strategy is a failure also from a tactical point of view, we don’t realise that we are playing with fire. The idea of the EU was born on the basis of a peace project, after the Second World War Europe realised that it would not survive another war. We should ask ourselves what Europe’s strategic interest is and call for a ceasefire. This is wrong and society wants peace, not war, which is not a political game.”
The infamous 128th Mountain Assault Hunting Brigade
Earlier, Hungarian media reported that most Hungarians serve in the 128th Mountain Assault Hunting Brigade, “which is usually deployed during the most intense fighting.”
According to a January article in the Carpathian Pravda Slovo newspaper, László Kuti, consul in Uzhgorod, reported the deaths of 12 soldiers who were Hungarians or had Hungarian connections (the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides financial support to the families of all Hungarian victims), while other estimates put the number closer to 100.
