Budapest will not send weapons or military equipment to Ukraine, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
“I informed Mr. Secretary General that Hungary will not send any weapons or military equipment to the Russian-Ukrainian war“, Magyar wrote on Facebook after the talks.
According to Magyar, during the meeting he and Rutte discussed Hungary's role in NATO and the participation of Hungarian troops in the alliance's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. Magyar said that Budapest intends to remain a “reliable partner“ NATO, and Rutte, he said, praised the work of the Hungarian troops.
The NATO Secretary General briefed the Hungarian Prime Minister on preparations for the alliance summit to be held on July 7-8 in Ankara, and discussed the situation around the Strait of Hormuz.
„Politico“ previously reported that Magyar opposes arms supplies to Kiev, as well as accelerating Ukraine's accession to the EU. Members of parliament from his „Tisza“ party voted against a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine in the European Parliament.
Magyar also said that he intends to follow a „pragmatic“ approach in relations with Russia, based on mutual respect for sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs. The Kremlin responded that it was „satisfied“ to note the readiness of the Hungarian side for dialogue.
During the election campaign, he criticized Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his rapprochement with Moscow. Magyar recalled that in 1989 Orbán demanded the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungary, and now, in his words, he has become “the Kremlin's most loyal ally“.
In April, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha announced Kiev's intention to normalize relations with Budapest. According to Sibiha, Ukraine hopes that the change of power in Hungary after the recent parliamentary elections will lead to the normalization of relations between the two countries.