
European leaders are privately forming "war councils" to plan for victory in a potential third world war, Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orbán has claimed, fuelling fears of a widening global conflict.
Speaking at an anti-war rally on Saturday, 17 January 2026, Orbán said the European Union was no longer focused on diplomacy but had shifted towards preparations for large-scale military confrontation, warning that the bloc was moving steadily towards direct conflict with Russia.