Last year, Viktor Orbán warned that such a proposal could be on the table in the near future.Continue reading
Everything possible must be done to avoid a conflict between NATO and Russia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade stressed on Kossuth Radio’s Sunday Newspaper (Vasárnapi újság) program.
Péter Szijjártó said that Europe continues to suffer from war psychosis, referring to French President Emmanuel Macron’s statement that it cannot be ruled out that the West will send troops to war-torn Ukraine. The minister noted that what Hungary has been saying since the beginning of the war has been happening for the last two years, namely that sanctions against Russia are not working and that there will be no solution to the war on the battlefield.
The longer the Russia-Ukraine war goes on, the closer we could be “to the terrifying threat of what could be called a third world war,”
he warned.
Western Europeans first sent only helmets, then ammunition, small arms, tanks, and missiles to Ukraine, and it is no wonder that some Western politicians are now talking about sending ground troops, he said. “This completely contradicts the joint decisions taken so far,” he noted, adding that two years ago, NATO member states had made a decision that NATO was not a belligerent party and that everything should be done to avoid a conflict between NATO and Russia.
Western politicians who talk about sending troops are violating this NATO decision.”
The politician stressed that Hungary’s position is that it will not send weapons or troops to Ukraine, and that human lives can only be saved through ceasefires and peace negotiations.
Szijjártó underlined that
NATO is a defense alliance and it is not its business to attack anyone.”
He added that it was reassuring that the majority of European politicians made it clear after President Macron’s statement that they would not send troops to Ukraine. “The belligerent stance of the Baltic states is nothing new, but it is reassuring that the U.S. president has not taken a position in favor of sending troops either,” he said.
The minister also mentioned that at a meeting of the Visegrád Four (Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary) last Tuesday, the prime ministers of all four countries made it clear that they did not intend to send ground troops to Ukraine. “It is true that they have different views on the peace issue, but it is clear to all four countries and governments that the national interest is the reason why Visegrád cooperation is beneficial.”
Via MTI, Featured image: Pixabay