Western countries that provide weapons and money to Ukraine have already become active participants in the conflict, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday

In an interview with Hungarian state radio, Orban said Germany's decision to send 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks to Ukraine was a symbol of the increasing role of Western countries in the war.

Instead of arming Ukraine, the West should hold a "truce and peace talks," Orban said.

"It started with the Germans saying they were willing to send helmets because they would not send lethal weapons to war, because that would mean participating in it. That's where we started," Orban said. "Now we're talking about battle tanks, and they're already talking about planes."

He noted that dragging Hungary into a war in Ukraine "is out of the question while I am prime minister," but it is too late for other countries in Europe.