Hungary agrees not to veto NATO’s deepening support for Ukraine | Wilnesh News

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Hungary will neither block nor participate in the military alliance’s deepening support for Ukraine, which he hopes to bolster ahead of a key summit in Washington next month.

Stoltenberg told a news conference on Wednesday: “At the summit, I expect the allies will agree that NATO will take a leading role in coordinating and providing security assistance and training to Ukraine. I also expect that the allies will agree to provide military support.” Long-term financial commitment.

“(Hungarian) Prime Minister (Victor) Orban has made it clear that Hungary will not participate in these efforts. I accept this position.”

Orban endorsed the deal at the same press conference. He said Hungary had received assurances that it would not have to participate when it came to operations outside the region, according to his comments translated by The Associated Press. In exchange for these concessions, Hungary agreed not to veto deeper NATO military aid to Ukraine.

Stoltenberg said on Wednesday: “Prime Minister (Orban) assured me that Hungary will not oppose these efforts, allowing other allies to move forward. He also confirmed that Hungary will fully implement all its NATO commitments.”

All NATO decisions must be reached by consensus, effectively giving each member state veto power. Under the alliance treaty, participants are required to respond militarily only if an ally comes under armed attack. Ukraine has repeatedly asked to join NATO but has been unable to join the alliance amid fierce fighting on its territory. However, NATO countries, including the United States, the alliance’s largest funder, generally believe that Moscow will pose a threat to European security if the conflict in Ukraine spreads to the wider region.

Under Orban’s nationalist government, Budapest has distanced itself from the military alliance’s staunch support for Ukraine and maintained relatively friendly relations with the increasingly isolated Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Hungary has previously delayed or opposed aid plans for Kiev and sanctions against Moscow, making it increasingly a thorn in the side of NATO and EU plans. Budapest does not ship weapons to Ukraine.

Orban celebrated an EU election victory over the weekend in which his Fidesz party received the largest number of votes 44.9% — but fell short of the 50%-plus majority it achieved in 2019. . According to Reuters.

Hungary’s resistance to additional NATO support in Ukraine comes as some members of the military alliance – including the United States and Germany, Europe’s largest economy – have lifted some restrictions on weapons they provide to Kiev for defensive use against targets on Russian territory. .

French President Emmanuel Macron has previously advocated not ruling out the possibility of deploying NATO troops in Ukraine, but faced widespread backlash from other members of the alliance – unless latest signal Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.