Hungary agreed not to veto NATO support for Ukraine ahead of a summit in Washington next month. However, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán insisted that his government would not provide funds and military personnel for any joint assistance effort, according to the Associated Press.
At the Washington summit, the US and its NATO counterparts are expected to agree on a new system to provide more security to Ukraine’s armed forces.
“I asked the Secretary-General to make it clear that all military action outside NATO territory can only be voluntary in nature, according to NATO rules and our traditions,” said Orbán after talks in Budapest with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
In turn, Stoltenberg confirmed that Hungary would not participate in NATO’s military aid efforts, saying that he accepted the country’s position.
The NATO Secretary-General added that he and Orbán had agreed on modalities for “Hungary’s non-participation in NATO’s support for Ukraine.” However, no more details on how that would work were revealed.
“At the same time, the prime minister has assured me that Hungary will not oppose these efforts, enabling other allies to move forward, and he has confirmed that Hungary will continue to meet its NATO commitments in full,” said Stoltenberg.
Orbán, known as the biggest Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ally in the EU, has labeled his EU and NATO partners assisting Ukraine as being “pro-war.” He also blocked €50 billion in aid for Ukraine and advocated for former US President Donald Trump’s victory in the November election.
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