Orbán warns EU of war over use of frozen Russian assets

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has expressed concern that the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine could become a "harbinger" of a Russo-European war.

Orbán said he has "seen with his own eyes that all European leaders today are thinking about war".

"Europe is running out of strength and money. The main question is who will finance what's left of Ukraine after the war. Who has the money? Which EU country's citizens are prepared to send billions of euros to a Ukraine that cannot support itself?" Orbán wrote on Facebook.

According to Orbán, Brussels has come up with a "new miracle weapon" for this purpose: confiscating and using Russia's currency reserves held in Europe.

"This is a Russo-European conflict that could become a harbinger of war. Only direct talks between Russia and Europe can prevent the conflict from escalating. We insisted on this during recent meetings," Orbán added.

On 23 October the European Council adopted conclusions on Ukraine that omitted any direct mention of the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.

Belgium reportedly played a leading role in pushing for the change in wording.

Nevertheless, the EU has insisted that the issue remains on the agenda, with a final decision expected in December 2025.