The Fear of a Russian Attack on the EU and NATO is Ridiculous - Orban 0 8

The fear of a possible attack by Russia on the European Union and NATO is ridiculous, said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. "With all due respect, I find it ridiculous to say that Russia will attack the EU or NATO, simply because it is not strong enough. We are much stronger," said the head of the Hungarian government in the podcast MD meets the head of the German media concern Alex Springer, Mathias Döpfner, released on Saturday, November 15.

Orban reminded that the population of the EU exceeds 400 million people, while Russia's population is about 140 million. Moreover, the total military potential of all 27 EU states surpasses that of Russia, he pointed out. "For more than three years, the Russians have been unable to fully occupy Ukraine. How can we, in Europe, claim that we are weaker than Russia?" the Hungarian Prime Minister rhetorically asked.

Orban on the Consequences of Possible Russian Defeat in Ukraine

At the same time, Viktor Orban, who has been repeatedly criticized by European politicians and experts for his favorable attitude towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, warned of the possible negative consequences of a military defeat for Russia in Ukraine: "If a nuclear power loses a war that is being fought without the use of nuclear weapons, I am absolutely sure (...) that in such a case there is a risk of the use of nuclear weapons."

In addition, Orban criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: "I am ready to help the German Chancellor, if I can, to establish peace (in the war of Russia against Ukraine - Ed.), but he is for war." The same, according to him, applies to the entire EU. At the same time, time "is working more for the Russians than for us (the EU - Ed.)," Orban believes.

Viktor Orban on Angela Merkel

In the MD meets podcast, the Prime Minister of Hungary spoke highly of the policy towards Russia pursued by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "There were meetings in the EU Council where only she and I spoke for peace and cooperation," he said. However, on issues of migration and environmental protection, his position has always diverged from Merkel's stance, Orban added. "Sometimes she even yelled at me. That was not good, even more often than my wife," noted the Hungarian Prime Minister.

The Possibility of Russia Using Nuclear Weapons

In the film by journalist Pavel Zarubin "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin. 25 Years," shown in Russia in May of this year, Vladimir Putin stated that in the war of Russia against Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces "had no need" to use nuclear weapons. "They wanted to provoke us, wanted to make us make mistakes. Well, there was no need to use (nuclear - Ed.) weapons, which you just mentioned, and I hope it will not be necessary," Putin said.

Since the beginning of the full-scale armed aggression of Russia against Ukraine, Putin has repeatedly stated that he considers the use of nuclear weapons to be "a last resort for ensuring security." At the same time, there have been practically open threats of the use of nuclear weapons from his entourage, particularly from Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council.

In November 2024, the President of the Russian Federation signed an updated nuclear doctrine of Russia. The main changes in it are that aggression by any non-nuclear state, but with the involvement or support of a nuclear state, against Russia will be regarded as their joint attack on the Russian Federation.