Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has stated that Western countries are losing the war in Ukraine but remain unwilling to end it or acknowledge their failure. “They find themselves in a difficult position, fighting a war that has already been lost,” the Prime Minister said.

He reiterated that Hungary does not intend to be dragged into these actions despite the pressure exerted on it.

“The situation is that Western countries do not want to stop the Russian-Ukrainian war, and so it is a valid question whether [Hungary] has room for maneuver.”
Viktor Orban

Also, Orban stated that Hungary’s principled stance has allowed it to preserve “room for maneuver” in the economic field, which is heavily impacted by the conflict in Ukraine.

“Reviving the Cold War is a bad idea, yet many are responding to the Russia-Ukraine war in this way and have effectively declared it in the economic sphere.

“We have managed to stay out of the war, and I think we can avoid bad economic policies based on faulty military logic.”
Viktor Orban

He recalled that Hungary continues to buy Russian oil and gas as it has secured an exemption from some EU sanctions.

Additionally, Orban expressed hope that if former President Donald Trump wins the November 5 US election, “the party of war in America will be replaced by the party of peace,” potentially paving the way for a settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. “Former President Trump will return, and then we will be able to breathe a sigh of relief, as we will no longer be alone; at least there will be two of us,” the Hungarian Prime Minister stated.

Iterating Orban’s stance was Serbian Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vulin, who said in an interview that the West has yet to understand that it will not be able to vanquish Russia.

“I am very worried that the West is not seeking peace. They are trying to defeat Russia militarily, but that is unrealistic,” the Serbian premier said. “A nuclear power cannot be defeated by military means; that is simply not possible. They will eventually come to realize that they are making a mistake.”
Aleksandar Vulin

Vulin expressed doubt that peace could ever be achieved “if demands for Russia’s capitulation are put forward.”

“With every new day of attempts to defeat Russia, people suffer and continue to die. Therefore, we support any peace initiative, provided it is genuinely aimed towards peace, rather than serving as a political mockery.”
Aleksandar Vulin

Russian Ambassador Calls Zelenskyy’s Victory Plan Unrealistic

Separately, Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Andrey Kelin said in an interview, “As for whether Zelensky’s ‘victory plan’ is realistic, it is absolutely not.”

He noted that it contains the well-known set of demands put forward by “the Kyiv leadership, with some creative additions, such as pledges to give all Ukrainian natural resources to Western countries.”

However, Kelin added that it is a well-known fact that partners view the majority of points in that plan coolly.

“In my opinion, he [Zelensky] sought to cut off discussions that had been initiated here in support of resolving the conflict. And he did cut them off, demonstrating that, at present, Kyiv would prefer further escalation.”
Andrey Kelin

Commenting on what British experts think of Zelensky’s latest proposals, the diplomat noted that their position is “not much different from the official policy line.”

“They mostly argue that military support must be increased or that Russia must be defeated, etc. One cannot count on the emergence of alternative opinions here. If such opinions do appear, they are silenced quite quickly.”
Andrey Kelin