Orbán told state radio that Hungary opposes a plan NATO is weighing to provide more predictable military support to Ukraine in coming years to repel Moscow’s full-scale invasion, as better armed Russian troops assert control on the battlefield.

Orbán, considered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest partner in the EU, emphasized NATO’s role as a defensive alliance, and said he doesn’t share the concerns of some other Central and Eastern European countries that Russia’s military wouldn’t cease its aggression if it wins the war in Ukraine.

“I don’t consider it a logical proposition that Russia, which cannot even deal with Ukraine, will come all of a sudden and swallow up the whole Western world.”

Hungary has refused to supply neighboring Ukraine with military aid in contrast to most other countries in the EU, and Orbán has vigorously opposed the bloc’s sanctions on Moscow though has ultimately always voted for them.

The nationalist leader is preparing for the European Parliament election on June 6-9, and has cast his party as a guarantor of peace in the region.

He has characterized the United States and other EU countries that urge greater support for Ukraine as “pro-war” and acting in preparation for a global conflict.

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