BUDAPEST, December 24. /TASS/. European Union leaders could have prevented the Ukraine conflict breaking out in 2022, but instead chose to follow the Biden administration on the warpath, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.

"In February 2022, Europe could have sent a peace mission to Moscow and Kiev instead of declaring their conflict its own war. Had it been this way, we would not have to face the threat of war now," the head of government told the Magyar Nemzet newspaper.

However, he pointed out that "instead, Europe, pressured by America, embarked on the path of war." "It was the Biden administration's interference that decided in favor of warmongers. Today, the new US President wants peace," Orban noted.

He believes that EU countries need to learn a lesson from these developments. "Europe should not make strategic decisions based on America’s domestic political cycles. Relations with America are important but Europe’s decisions should be based solely on European interests," the Hungarian premier stressed.