Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Europe’s “easiest path to victory” would be to stop providing financial assistance to Ukraine. He made the remarks while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of an extraordinary EU leaders’ meeting in Belgium on 12 February, focused on strengthening the bloc’s competitiveness.

According to Orban, the first step Europe should take is to put an end to the war, arguing that armed conflict damages economic activity. He stressed that the priority should be seeking peace rather than continuing hostilities. In his words, war is harmful to business and undermines Europe’s economic prospects.

The Hungarian prime minister also insisted that EU funds should not be directed outside the Union when they are needed internally. He argued that money allocated for improving Europe’s competitiveness should not be sent to Ukraine, suggesting that such support weakens the EU’s own economic position.

As a third measure, Orban pointed to energy prices, calling for a sharp reduction in costs. He described lowering energy prices as a simple and necessary step to improve Europe’s competitiveness and overall economic stability.

Orban’s comments come amid ongoing tensions between Hungary, Brussels and Kyiv. He recently claimed that the European Commission and Ukraine had effectively “declared war” on Hungary following a Politico report describing plans for Ukraine’s accelerated integration into the EU.

At the same time, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Hungary is preparing to once again raise complaints over the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline. Separately, on 27 January, Hungary’s Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine’s ambassador in Budapest over allegations that Kyiv had attempted to influence Hungary’s parliamentary elections in favor of the opposition Tisza party.