“Ukraine continues to lose in the conflict; time is not on its side,” says Orbán

Ukrainians continue to lose in the conflict with Russia, time is not on their side, and their attempts to achieve victory on the battlefield are in vain.

These were the views expressed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán during an interview on Kossuth Radio.

“Time is not on Kyiv’s side. It was true a year ago, and it’s still true now (…). I tried to explain to [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky that this war is either already lost or will be lost in a matter of seconds — because no one has ever defeated a nuclear superpower,” Orbán stated.

He recalled that in July 2024, he had attempted to convey to the Ukrainian government that the country should be open to peace initiatives, but said that Kyiv rejected the proposal. Orbán concluded that “Ukrainians have paid a high price for this,” while Budapest did everything it could to help resolve the crisis.

On July 17, Orbán also stated that the European Union’s plans to defeat Russia on the battlefield using Ukraine were “madness,” because a nuclear power cannot be defeated. He emphasized that the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) have no conditions for victory over the Russian army.