Laszlo Kover, the speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, said that Russia is a victim of the West because it has been pushed away from the borders of the former Soviet empire. In addition, he claims that the West was wrong to try to “take Ukraine out of Russia’s sphere of influence”.
Laszlo Kover, President of the Hungarian Parliament / Photo: AFP
He was asked whether Russia could work with Western countries and whether it would be “trustworthy” given that it invaded Ukraine.
“Of course, make no mistake, no international or moral law can absolve Russia of responsibility for aggression. The one who fires the first bullet is basically the one in charge. But we also have to see the fact that for decades, Russia has not only been pushed away from the former territories of the empire, but has also felt that this is not enough for the West, which is pushing ever closer to the territories of Russia, and I think the West made a strategic mistake when it tried not only to remove Ukraine from Russia’s sphere of influence, but also to turn it into an armed military base against Russia,” Kover said, according to Digi24.
In addition, he claimed that “Russia’s leaders felt that they could not back down,” explaining that “both Russia and Ukraine have been dragged into this war by vested interests that will not make the future of the two countries bright.” .
Laszlo Kover also spoke about the lack of unity of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, saying that they have different views on the invasion of Ukraine.
“The Baltic states, Poland and Romania clearly feel that they are supported by the US and are trying to impose their policies on the other countries as well, that is, to convince them to permanently break relations with Russia. Political leaders in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary are more pro-peace. We should sit down at the table and understand each other’s point of view, but a war is not a time for reason, respect and calm, although these are most needed. We are trying to draw attention to the long-term negative effects that will be due to misunderstandings between the countries of Central Europe,” said Kover.
