Hungary taking important role in strengthening NATO eastern flank

Hungary is taking a significant role in strengthening the eastern flank of NATO, the Hungarian defence minister said after a meeting with his Bucharest Nine counterparts in Warsaw on Wednesday.

The defence ministry quoted Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky as saying that Hungary, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovakia were equally affected by the war in Ukraine. The Hungarian government maintains its position that an immediate ceasefire and peace talks could end the conflict.

The Hungarian government continues to deny its support to any weapons shipments to Ukraine as “any such transports would protract the war and result in further escalation”, he said.

According to the government, Ukraine should be “helped without weapons”, the minister said, adding that Hungary had condemned Russia’s aggression and expressed support for Ukraine’s integrity and sovereignty from the start. He also noted Hungary’s humanitarian aid programme to Ukrainians fleeing to Hungary and people staying in Ukraine alike.