Speaking at an event hosted by “Cicero” magazine in Berlin on Tuesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, according to the official translation, that former Chancellor Angela Merkel had already prevented a war in 2014 by acting after Russia’s annexation of Crimea. “What Angela Merkel did at the time of the Crimean crisis was a masterpiece.” She said war did not occur at that time because Germany’s diplomatic efforts isolated the conflict. “They didn’t allow it to blow up and get us all involved.”
Asked if he should be understood as saying that he believes war against Ukraine would not have occurred under a Chancellor Merkel, Orban replied, according to the translation, “For sure.” The Hungarian Prime Minister had met with Merkel on Sunday during his stay in Berlin, which lasted several days. Nothing has been disclosed so far about the contents of the conversation.