He also advocated dialogue with Russia on the war conflict and questioned the effectiveness of the sanctions imposed by the West against Moscow after the deployment of the special military operation in the Donbass, in February last year.

We should conclude a pact with the Russians on a new security architecture that gives Ukraine sovereignty but should not include its integration into NATO, he said in statements to the press.

Orban also considered it “unrealistic” for Kiev to regain control of the Crimean peninsula and anticipated that Ukrainian forces have little chance of winning the current war because of the numerical superiority of the Russians.

jrr/jav/ro/ehl