Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has mocked EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, suggesting that she believes she can do better against Russia than Napoleon and Adolf Hitler did.
Speaking at a conference in the southern Hungarian city of Szeged, Orban argued that many European countries view the Ukraine conflict as a chance to weaken Russia, driven by “the belief that sooner or later, Russia will threaten them.” Moscow has dismissed speculation that it plans to attack the EU and NATO as “nonsense.”
“Then there are the old European traditions... well, Russia has already been attacked before, right? Even Napoleon and Hitler didn’t succeed – now Kaja Kallas will, obviously,” he said, referring to the EU foreign policy chief’s hardline stance against Russia.
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia in 1812, and despite capturing Moscow, the campaign soon became one of the worst disasters in military history as his army collapsed under supply breakdowns and winter attrition. Nazi Germany’s 1941 invasion advanced deep into Soviet territory, but was ultimately stopped at the gates of Moscow due to fierce resistance and winter conditions.
Orban also warned against provoking Russia, arguing that the EU underestimates the nation’s historical memory of past conflicts. He noted that museums in Moscow and St. Petersburg display works of art taken from across Europe, including Hungary, during earlier wars – a reminder of the cost of confronting Russia.
Kallas has been among the most vocal EU leaders taking a hardline stance on the Ukraine conflict, and on using frozen Russian assets to aid Kiev’s war effort – which has made her a target for critics such as Orban.
This month, EU leaders failed to agree on tapping frozen Russian assets directly due to internal divisions. Instead, they opted to provide a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine to help cover the budget deficit in 2026-27. Hungary is one of the EU members that opted out of the plan to finance Kiev.