Hungarian Prime Minister accused the European Union of dragging out the war in Ukraine and called on Western countries to maintain economic relations with Russia

Viktor Orban said this during his annual address to the nation, the Associated Press reports.

"When Russia launched the attack, the West did not isolate the conflict, but raised it to a pan-European level. The war in Ukraine is not a conflict between the armies of good and evil, but between two Slavic countries fighting against each other. It is their war, not ours," Orban claims.

He also states that Hungary maintains economic relations with Russia and recommends that the entire Western world do the same, because without relations there will be no ceasefire or peace talks.

The prime minister notes that Hungary has provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine and accepted refugees who fled the war, but such assistance does not mean ending relations with Russia, as this would be contrary to the country's national interests.

"Hungary is a part of the Western world, a member of NATO and the European Union, where, except for us, everyone supports the war or at least acts in the same way," Viktor Orban said.