Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has sparked fresh controversy by arguing that post‑war Ukraine should exist “at most” as a neutral buffer state between Russia and NATO, with Russia retaining territory agreed at an eventual peace conference and a reduced Ukraine constrained in size and military capability. Speaking after a nearly four‑hour meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Orbán tied his proposal to the US-led peace framework and accused Brussels of dragging Europe onto the “side of the war,” underscoring sharp divisions within the West over Ukraine’s future security architecture and NATO ambitions.