BUDAPEST - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Tuesday accused Western countries of exploiting Ukraine for their own economic and strategic interests while portraying themselves as its protectors.
"The situation is clear. The West speaks of defending Ukraine, but in reality, it is an imperialist grab for land, resources, and money. The unfortunate Ukrainian people are being plundered, while those pushing for war cloak exploitation in the guise of protection. Let there be no illusion, this is about power and profit," Orban said in a post on social media platform X.
According to Orban, colonial attitudes have resurfaced in Europe and are fueling the conflict. "The war in Ukraine is also driven by this. Thus, the Westerners do not want to miss out on carving up Ukraine. They see it as the partitioning of Ukraine. Make no mistake, they are not fighting against the Russians. The Russians took 20 percent of Ukraine, and the West thinks it has the right to take the rest," he said.
Calling the conflict a "classic imperialist war," Orban claimed that Western actors are positioning themselves to benefit from Ukraine's resources. "The Americans are doing it most intelligently; they set up an economic fund, made agreements with the Ukrainians on rare earth metals and investments, they concluded a financial deal. The Westerners simply do not want to miss out on their share of a country they consider divisible," he said.
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He added that their ultimate aim is to control Ukraine's territory, agriculture, mineral wealth, and financial assets. "Behind it is all the plundering of the unfortunate Ukrainians, while they present it as if they were protecting Ukraine. This is not the case," Orban said.
Hungary has often diverged from the European Union's common stance on the Ukraine crisis. While Brussels has imposed sanctions on Russia and provided extensive military and financial support to Kyiv, Budapest has maintained energy cooperation with Moscow, opposed weapons deliveries, and consistently called for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks. Hungarian officials have argued that prolonging the conflict threatens Europe's security and economic stability.
