Orbán Agrees with NATO Not to Support Ukraine, but Not to Obstruct the Alliance
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reached an agreement on the format of cooperation regarding Ukraine during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. The agreed compromise stipulates that Budapest will not block the Alliance's decisions concerning Ukraine, but it will not participate in the aid, Bloomberg reports.
Viktor Orbán noted that this recognition reflects the fact that most NATO members do not share his views on ending Russia's war against Ukraine. He also added that Hungary remains a "loyal" member of the Alliance.
"Everyone knows that Hungary's position on the Russia-Ukraine war differs from that of most NATO countries," Viktor Orbán stated.
At the same time, the Hungarian Prime Minister thanked the NATO Secretary-General for allowing Budapest to express its distinct opinion.
Jens Stoltenberg, for his part, noted that he and Viktor Orbán "agreed on a mechanism by which Hungary will not participate in NATO's support for Ukraine," which the Alliance plans to provide in the future.
"I accept this decision," Stoltenberg said regarding Hungary's non-participation in NATO's efforts in Ukraine.
It should be recalled that The Gaze reported that diplomats from the Bucharest Nine (B9) countries, NATO, and EU's Eastern European allies, discussed excluding Hungary from future meetings of the Geographical Defence Club. At recent B9 meetings, Hungary vetoed the group's joint conclusions on increasing aid to Ukraine and approving any NATO steps aimed at boosting military support for Ukraine or accelerating its application for Alliance membership.
The Bucharest Nine, or B9, was founded in 2015. The bloc includes Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. All are former members of the Soviet Union or the Warsaw Pact and are now NATO and EU countries. Their leaders, foreign ministers, and defence ministers regularly meet to coordinate approaches to security policy, including the protection of their eastern borders.