Last year, Viktor Orbán warned that such a proposal could be on the table in the near future.Continue reading
Any plans or statements about the possible appearance of European troops in Ukraine are in direct contradiction with the decisions currently in force in NATO, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in Budapest.
The minister was asked at a joint press conference with his Chadian counterpart Mahamat Saleh Annadif about French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent statement, in which he did not rule out sending Western troops to Ukraine. In response, he described the statements as extremely dangerous and risking escalation. “Because the situation is tense, words and statements carry much more weight than if they were made in a peaceful environment,” he noted.
“That is why it is very important to be firm and clear in our position.
Hungary is not willing to send troops to Ukraine under any pretext, and will not supply weapons even after this,”
the politician emphasized.
Péter Szijjártó said he was somewhat reassured by the fact that several European leaders had made it clear that they would not send troops to Ukraine either, which would be in direct contradiction to NATO’s decision, which remains in effect. “Yesterday in Rome, I had talks with the Italian Foreign Minister, who also made it clear to me that Italy is not prepared to send troops.”
Two years ago, the North Atlantic Alliance said that it was not a belligerent party and that everything must be done to avoid direct confrontation with Russia, he recalled. “This is a NATO decision in effect, made with the agreement of all NATO members. Moreover, this decision has not yet been overruled, let alone discussed for possible modification,” he underlined.
So any statement or plan to have European troops in Ukraine is in direct contradiction with the NATO decision currently in force,”
Minister Szijjártó stressed.
In response to a journalist’s question, he also touched on the comments of the President of the European Commission on the risks of war. He added that since Ursula von der Leyen has been in charge of the Brussels body, the security and economic situation in the European Union has only worsened.
The minister reiterated that
Hungary, which is directly confronted with the horrors of war in its neighborhood with Ukraine, remains on the side of peace.
“There is a clear historical experience that all wars end with negotiations. In this respect, there is only a question about when these negotiations will take place in the context of the war in Ukraine,” he noted. “There are two possible answers: sooner or later. The difference between the effect of the two is that if these negotiations take place later, more people will die, and if they take place sooner, fewer will die,” he added. “And since the end will be a negotiation, we are urging that it should be as soon as possible, so that as many lives as possible can be saved,” he concluded.
Via MTI; Featured image via Pixabay
