Orban defies NATO: No aid for Ukraine amid EU tension
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban presented his government's position on aid to Ukraine on Friday during a radio interview, a stance which may appeal to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
6:10 PM EDT, June 14, 2024
In the radio interview, Viktor Orban emphasized that Hungary will neither provide its territory for military purposes nor supply weapons to Ukraine. Nevertheless, he assured that at the next NATO summit in Washington, Budapest will not obstruct the allies in their efforts to help Ukrainians defend themselves against Russian aggression.
Recently, Hungary opposed NATO's proposal to strengthen the Alliance's coordinating role in transferring weapons to Ukraine and training Ukrainian soldiers. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated in an interview with the Index portal that this crosses the red lines NATO set at the beginning of the war. He called the plans a "crazy mission."
Prime Minister Orban met in Budapest on Thursday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. During a joint press conference, the Hungarian politician admitted that his government's stance on Ukraine differs from that of the other 31 Alliance members.
"No Hungarian personnel will take part in these activities and no Hungarian funds will be used to support them," said Stoltenberg in an assessment.
Nonetheless, he assured that Hungary would not block decisions made by other member countries.
Orban presents position on aid to Ukraine
In Friday's interview, Orban stated that Hungary's stance might be difficult for NATO to accept but emphasized that the Alliance's concerns cannot outweigh national interests.
The Hungarian Prime Minister also commented on Thursday's CJEU ruling, which orders Hungary to pay a fine of 214 million dollars for violating EU immigration policy. Orban said that every day of delay in complying with the ruling would cost Budapest 1.1 million dollars.
Orban expressed the conviction that the consequences of the CJEU ruling would prove more painful for Brussels than for Hungary.
The Hungarian Prime Minister also criticized Brussels' actions, stating that what is happening there is difficult to understand from a cultural point of view for a Hungarian. Orban described the decision to penalize Hungary for defending the European Union's borders as outrageous and unacceptable. He expressed the belief that for Brussels bureaucrats, illegal migrants are more important than European citizens.
