Minister: Hungary ‘must not drift’ into war

It is “very important” that Hungary should “not at all drift into the war” in Ukraine, Gergely Gulyás, the prime minister’s chief of staff, said in an interview to Hungarian public media on Thursday. “Hungary supports its allies — NATO and the European Union — and it is crucial that the unity of those two organisations are maintained at this time,” Gulyás said. “Hungary condemns Russia’s attack on Ukraine alongside other NATO and EU members,” he added.

Ensuring the security of Hungary and its residents is of paramount importance, the minister said. Hungary should not “in any way” get involved in the war, he said. “Just as important is that we should be able to carry on pursuing our own interests,” he said, adding that projects that are closely related to economic ties with Russia, such as buying natural gas, should be maintained.

“Hungary, naturally, supports its allies, but we also want to make it clear that there is no need for Hungarian soldiers to get involved in this conflict,”

Gulyás said.

Soldiers and law-enforcement bodies are there to maintain the country’s security, while the Hungarian state will contribute to efforts aimed at creating peace, Gulyás said. Referring to the emergency EU summit in Brussels on Thursday evening, he said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was attending in that spirit, adding that he hoped the government’s achievements in recent years could be preserved.

Meanwhile, Gulyás

accused the Hungarian opposition of “pursuing their selfish power interests”,

adding that the opposition was incapable of giving priority to the interests of Hungary and its citizens during a crisis, branding them as “irresponsible”. Gulyás  said said the current situation warranted support for the government in conducting responsible negotiations.