Orban Says Zelenskiy’s Victory Plan Is Poised to Fail

By Zoltan Simon

October 18, 2024 at 3:45AM EDT

Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, left, and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine's president, attend a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. After years in which Budapest maintained ties with the Kremlin and stalled aid to the war-battered country, Orban held talks with Zelenskiy in the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday. (Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s victory plan that he presented to European Union leaders is poised to fail, according to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Orban has consistently sought to block EU aid for Kyiv while doubling down on economic links with Moscow. He repeated in an interview on Friday that Ukraine “can’t win” militarily against Russia.

The EU’s aim should be to bring the war to a quick end via diplomacy in a way that would have Ukraine “lose as little territory as possible” in a settlement, the premier told state radio, without elaborating.

At a summit meeting in Brussels on Thursday, Orban once again blocked EU efforts to tweak its Russia sanctions regime, a step needed to unlock significant US participation in a $50 billion loan to Ukraine.

Orban is a strong supporter of Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has criticized US funding for Ukraine and said he will seek a quick deal with Russia, in line with the Hungarian premier’s position.