Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that Ukraine should be left as a “buffer zone” between Russia and the West, which would provide certain security guarantees but not admit Ukraine as a member of the EU or NATO.

Viktor Orbán said this n a conversation with former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel as part of the European Voices media project.

“Whether you like it or not, whether Ukrainians like it or not, Ukraine is where it is on the map. The best prospect is for it to be a buffer zone between Russia and the West – with security guarantees, of course. If that doesn’t work, Ukraine will continue losing territory.

Russia will destroy Ukraine again and again and again. Russia will never accept having an EU and NATO member like Ukraine on its borders, never”, - said Hungarian Prime Minister.

At the same time, he believes that Ukraine and Georgia could have joined the EU and NATO in 2008, but that opportunity was missed, and with it went “Ukraine’s prospects for future membership of the EU and NATO”.