Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has issued a stark warning, claiming that bringing Ukraine into NATO would trigger an immediate war with Russia and potentially spark a third world war. He also urged the European Union to halt what he described as a dangerous rush to grant Ukraine membership.

Hungary has consistently opposed Brussels’ approach to the Ukraine crisis, including arms shipments to Kiev and economic sanctions against Moscow. Now, Orban is taking a firmer stance, insisting that any attempt to integrate Ukraine into NATO or the EU could bring catastrophic consequences.

“Ukraine joining NATO would mean war with Russia the very next day – and that’s World War III,” Orban posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday. He further warned that the EU’s push to admit Ukraine would drag military conflict right into Europe’s core.

Orban blasted the current EU leadership as “insane,” vowing to resist efforts that could turn the continent into a warzone. His comments followed a Friday interview in which he reiterated that fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU accession would cripple the bloc economically, pointing to the risks posed to Hungary’s farmers by cheaper Ukrainian agricultural imports.

The Hungarian leader also emphasized that Ukraine’s unstable borders and shifting population due to the ongoing war make the country unfit for membership. He reaffirmed that Hungary’s veto of a joint EU statement at the Foreign Affairs Council last week was meant to block the formal launch of accession talks. Under EU rules, such decisions must be unanimous.

A final decision has been postponed, with the issue expected to resurface during the EU’s next meeting in October.

Orban justified his country’s position by pointing to the results of a national consultation conducted between April and June, where 95% of over 2 million respondents opposed Ukraine’s EU membership.

Reiterating his opposition to the war, Orban declared earlier this month that “Ukraine cannot win,” blaming “war-hungry politicians” for misleading the public. “We do not want to die for Ukraine,” he said. “We don’t want our sons returning in coffins. We don’t want an Afghanistan next door.”

He also took aim at the EU’s growing military ambitions, which include a recently approved €150 billion defense borrowing initiative.

Although Russia initially did not object to Ukraine joining the EU, top Russian officials have recently voiced growing concern, particularly in light of the bloc’s increasingly aggressive defense posture.