Orban warns EU

By Alpaslan Düven-London

Orban warns EU against using Russian assets for Ukraine, Calls move ‘Declaration of War’

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has warned that seizing frozen Russian assets and transferring them to Ukraine would amount to a “declaration of war,” cautioning that such a step could directly draw the European Union into the conflict with Russia.

“Seizing Russian assets and transferring them to Ukraine is a declaration of war,” Orbán said, according to remarks cited by Hungarian media. “Taking money from one side and giving it to the other would directly draw the EU into the conflict. This should not be allowed.”

Orbán’s comments come amid ongoing discussions within the EU and among its allies about how to use billions of euros’ worth of Russian central bank assets that were frozen following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. While some EU member states have pushed for the assets to be confiscated outright and used to fund Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction, others have raised legal and geopolitical concerns.

Hungary has consistently taken a more cautious line than most EU countries on the war in Ukraine. Orbán’s government has opposed further sanctions on Russia, resisted military aid to Kyiv, and repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks. Budapest argues that escalating financial or military involvement risks widening the conflict and harming European economic interests.

EU officials, for their part, have emphasized that any decision on Russian assets must comply with international law. As a result, the bloc has so far limited itself to using profits generated from the frozen assets—rather than the assets themselves—to support Ukraine, a compromise intended to reduce legal risks and political divisions within the union.

Orbán’s latest remarks underline the persistent split within the EU over how far the bloc should go in backing Ukraine and confronting Russia, as the war drags on with no clear end in sight.