Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned that Europe must accept Ukraine as a buffer zone between Russia and the West to prevent war on European soil. Speaking at an anti-war rally in Kaposvar on Saturday, Orban asserted that NATO and the European Union cannot be located directly at Russia’s borders without triggering military conflict.

“We must accept that NATO and the European Union cannot be located directly at Russia’s borders,” Orban stated, emphasizing that “there must always be… a buffer zone between the eastern borders of Russia and the West.” He argued that Ukraine should fulfill this role to avoid war in Europe.

The Hungarian leader also warned that Ukraine’s potential membership in the European Union would force Hungary and the bloc into direct confrontation with Russia. Additionally, Orban cautioned that if the pro-EU Tisza opposition party wins April’s elections, it “will end up taking our children to war as soldiers.”

On Monday, Orban criticized the EU’s current leadership structure, claiming it is dominated by a “German war troika” consisting of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and EPP leader Manfred Weber. He also highlighted the bloc’s €90 billion ($106 billion) loan package for Ukraine as financing the ongoing conflict.

Further, Orban expressed skepticism about EU plans to deploy peacekeepers in Ukraine, quipping that “prior experience shows that European peacekeepers always tend to become warkeepers.”