Hungary’s Orban Offers Alternate EU Security Guarantee Plan For Ukraine

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has issued an ‘alternate’ EU plan for offering Ukraine security guarantees as part of a post-war settlement.

He has stated this week that dividing Ukraine into Russian and Western spheres of influence is likely the most realistic outcome and the only dependable way to ensure the European Union’s security. The ‘pro-Ukraine’ and ‘pro-Russian’ spheres would be separated by a buffer zone.

Kiev has of course, with the backing of the Europeans, proposed the deployment of peacekeepers or establishing a buffer zone with Western military presence. The Kremlin has condemned this prospect as a non-starter, saying it would never allow NATO or Western troops on its border, even under the guise of ‘peacekeeping’. 

Russia has further demanded that any final peace must center on Ukraine’s neutrality, demilitarization, and recognition of Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye as part of Russia. These were annexed in 2014 and 2022, in what Russia deemed popular referendums.

Orban’s words were issued Sunday at an event to guests at the annual Civic Picnic in the southern resort town of Kotcse, Hungary – and were translated and featured in Russian media Tuesday.

“Europeans all so elegantly talk around security guarantees, but the security guarantee actually means the division of Ukraine,” Orban began. “The first step has already been taken – the Westerners have accepted that a Russian zone exists.”

This appeared to be a reference to earlier remarks of President Trump admitting that Ukraine ever regaining Crimea was “impossible.”

“The result would be a Russian zone, a demilitarized zone and, eventually, a Western zone…The only question is how many kilometers away from the border of the Russian zone a demilitarized zone should be established,” Orban continued.

‘Ukraine is being divided into parts right now. One part will be controlled by the Russians, the second will be a ‘demilitarized zone,’ and the third part will be controlled by the West’ – Orban.

‘The Europeans elegantly talk about ‘security guarantees.’ But ‘security… pic.twitter.com/cWZK1S1jjj

— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) September 8, 2025

The Hungarian leader has long come under severe criticism from the rest of the EU, and he’s responded by calling them ‘warmongers’ who want to fuel the conflict, though he has said Europe is fast running out of the necessary weapons and funding to keep the war going.

Ukraine is likely to firmly reject his ‘alternate’ vision for an EU plan, given it would involve the ceding of significant territory to the Russians, something Zelensky has ruled out. Ukraine’s eastern portion has always been Russian-speaking, with up to one-third of the country’s total population speaking Russian as their first language.