The Hungarian government is reassessing its country's role in NATO, so refusing to participate in the alliance's military mission in Ukraine. This was announced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the morning program of radio station Kossuth.
He confirmed that Hungary does not intend to participate in NATO actions that could directly involve the bloc's countries in the conflict in Ukraine and lead to a direct clash with Russia. According to him, military planning is underway in Brussels, “working groups are working on how NATO can participate in this war”.
„Hungary opposes this. "A lot of work is being done in the government to determine how we can remain members of NATO without going to war," Orbán said. He added that Brussels knows about this and has even coined the term “non-participant” for Hungary.
The head of the government admitted that this situation seems strange because, despite all reservations, Hungary intends to remain part of the North Atlantic Alliance. “In the history of NATO, there have not been many situations in which a member state has so openly taken a special position, as Hungary is doing now. Therefore, its role must be reconsidered in the military alliance. Our lawyers and the military are working on it right now. This issue should be resolved by Hungarian diplomacy”, Orbán said.
At the same time, he reiterated that Hungary does not intend to participate in possible NATO actions in Ukraine. It will not finance the shipment of weapons there and will not even set aside its territory for the storage of weapons intended for the Ukrainian army. The Prime Minister explained that this position is dictated by the conviction that the conflict in Ukraine cannot be resolved by military means, there can be no winner, it can only be resolved through peaceful negotiations.
Furthermore, Orbán recalled that NATO is a defensive alliance that has not been attacked by anyone. The conflict in Ukraine affects only this country and Russia, the Prime Minister believes. Therefore, he said, the talks about the “Russian threat” should be seen as “maneuvers of the West and Europe in preparation for going to war”.