Orban: Hungary Will Not Participate in NATO Military Actions to Support Ukraine

Victor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary, stated on Friday, June 4, that his country will stay away from any NATO operations aimed at supporting Ukraine, which indicate that this military alliance and the European Union are moving towards a more direct confrontation with Russia. Mr. Orban told Hungarian state radio that Budapest opposes the ongoing NATO plan to provide more military support to Ukraine in the coming years to repel Moscow's full-scale invasion. He said, 'We do not approve of such a plan and do not want to participate in financial or military support (for Ukraine), even within NATO.' The Prime Minister of Hungary stated, 'We need to redefine our position within the NATO military alliance, and our lawyers and military officials are working on how Hungary can be a NATO member while not participating in NATO actions outside its territory.' Mr. Orban, who is considered the closest partner of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, in the European Union, emphasized NATO's role as a defensive alliance but disagreed with the views of some Central and Eastern European countries that are concerned that the Russian army will not stop its aggression if it wins the war in Ukraine. The Prime Minister of Hungary added, 'If the Russians were strong enough to settle Ukraine's fate at once, they would have done it already.' He further stated, 'Ukraine's power is not comparable to NATO's power. I do not consider it a logical view that Russia, which cannot even defeat Ukraine, would suddenly come and swallow the entire Western world. The probability of that is very low.' Victor Orban emphasized his commitment as a NATO member but expressed concern about military assistance to Ukraine, which is not a NATO member. Budapest has repeatedly opposed Ukraine's accession to NATO. Unlike most EU countries, Hungary has refrained from providing military assistance to its neighbor Ukraine and has strongly opposed the EU's sanctions against Moscow, although it has always ultimately voted in favor of them. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's Secretary-General, suggested in mid-April that a five-year fund be established to provide $100 billion in aid to Ukraine so that member countries of the alliance can participate more in supplying weapons needed by Kyiv.