BUDAPEST, June 9. /TASS/. Hungarian people don’t want to die for Ukraine or have a "new Afghanistan" as a neighboring state, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said during a rally of right-wing conservative parties in Montargis, France.
In his words, current European leaders are trying to persuade Europeans that the military conflict in Ukraine must continue.
"But I warn you that this war cannot be won. There is no solution on the battlefield, there are only deaths. We need a ceasefire, we need peace, we need negotiations," he said in an address to right-wing conservatives, aired on the YouTube channel of the Patriots for Europe coalition of parties.
"Diplomats need to take over control from generals. We don’t want to die for Ukraine and we don’t want our sons to return from Ukraine in coffins. We don’t want to have a new Afghanistan on our doorstep," Orban continued.
He also spoke against switching to a "military economy" in Europe and efforts to start a new arms race with Russia. "Let’s stop them!" he said, referring to the current EU leadership, and called upon his audience to keep resisting Brussels and its policies.
Fontainebleau declaration
Orban is currently visiting France on an invitation from the leaders of the National Rally party, Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen. On Sunday, they participated in a meeting of EU conservative parties, which form the Patriots for Europe coalition, the third-largest group in the European Parliament.
Conservative leaders have adopted a joint declaration in Fontainebleau, which says that the current political course of the EU does not correspond to the union’s main goals - preserving peace, freedom and economic prosperity.
The document also says that the Patriots of Europe favor peace and oppose sending troops to Ukraine. It says that Europe should play the role of a mediator and assist in peace initiatives.
The joint declaration also warns that escalation in Ukraine poses a security threat to the entire European continent. Conservative leaders also warn against Ukraine’s hasty accession to the European Union, because it will have extremely negative consequences for European security, agriculture and labor market.