ATHENS

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday accused Western Europe of prolonging the war in Ukraine, which recently began its fourth year.

Orban told public broadcaster MTI that Hungary has worked out a peace plan, while Western Europe has drafted a war plan aimed at keeping the Ukrainian army engaged in a prolonged conflict with Russia.

Reiterating his support for US President Donald Trump’s peace plan and negotiations, Orban said: “If there’s anyone who can achieve peace, it’s him. And since we want peace, our job isn’t to hinder, criticize, or obstruct him, but to support him.”

He said Western European countries disagree with him on Trump.

“First of all, they clearly hate the US president and would not be at all upset if he fails because right now, he’s having tremendous success,” Orban said.

He claimed that Trump’s efforts had already ensured the war would not spread to other parts of Europe.

Defends decision to leave ICC

Defending Hungary’s decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), Orban argued that international institutions had increasingly become tools of global power and now act against the sovereignty of nation-states.

He also defended his decision this week to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is subject to an ICC arrest warrant issued last year.

“The point of foreign policy is for a country to make friends, and it is good if Israel is a friend and not an enemy of Hungary,” he said.

Netanyahu’s visit to Hungary, which began Thursday, marks his first trip to European soil since the ICC issued an arrest warrant for him in November over allegations of war crimes in Gaza.

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, called on Hungary to arrest Netanyahu.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its military campaign in Gaza, where more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.