Budapest will not block NATO’s decisions to provide assistance to Ukraine, provided that Hungary itself does not participate in their implementation. This was stated by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at a press conference following the visit of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to Budapest.
Stoltenberg confirmed the achievement of such an agreement. In particular, Hungary will not finance arms supplies to Ukraine or send its military to train Ukrainian servicemen. Orban also noted that Hungary would not participate in any NATO missions outside the Alliance countries, including in Ukraine in case NATO troops are sent there.
Stoltenberg visited Budapest ahead of the NATO summit in Washington, where the alliance’s countries are expected to agree on a 40 billion euros-a-year allocation to support Ukraine. The summit is also expected to agree a new scheme to support Kyiv with arms supplies and military training to avoid future unpredictability. Budapest has promised not to block these decisions – provided it does not participate. According to Stoltenberg, he “accepted this position”. At the same time, he noted that Orban assured him that Hungary remains a loyal NATO member and will fulfill its obligations to allies.
The position of the Hungarian authorities on the war in Ukraine differs from that of the overwhelming majority of EU and NATO countries. Budapest in particular calls for peace talks without preconditions, which is unacceptable to Kyiv. Hungary also refuses to supply Ukraine with weapons and often criticizes the country’s authorities. At the same time, Budapest does not usually block the decisions of the EU and NATO, sometimes achieving some exceptions or benefits for itself during the negotiations.
