Europe’s march toward militarization: Orban warns of EU war preparations by 2030 |
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has once again thrust himself into the center of Europe’s geopolitical debate, declaring that the European Union is quietly but deliberately preparing for a direct military confrontation with Russia by 2030. Speaking at an anti-war rally on December 7, the Hungarian leader accused Brussels of reshaping its economic and political machinery to achieve what he described as “full combat readiness” within five years.
Orban’s warning did not emerge in a vacuum. It comes at a moment when alarmist rhetoric across parts of Europe has grown increasingly normalized, amplified by military officials, political leaders, and defense analysts who frame Russia as the continent’s looming existential threat. Yet Orban’s intervention stands out because he claims that the shift toward a wartime footing is not accidental or reactive-but systemic, strategic, and already underway.
During his speech, Orban outlined what he called a predictable sequence of events that lead nations into war: the breakdown of diplomatic relations, the introduction of punitive sanctions, the cessation of economic cooperation, and eventually armed confrontation. According to the Hungarian prime minister, three of these four stages have already been passed.
“Europe has already taken most of the typical steps that lead to war,” he said. “There is the official European Union position that by 2030 it must be ready for war.”
Although no EU institution has publicly declared such a position, Orban’s assertion reflects growing concerns that the........