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Foreign Minister Categorically Rules Out Sending Ammunition to Ukraine

Mariann Őry 2023.03.21.

Hungary will not participate in the EU countries’ joint ammunition transfer and procurement program for Ukraine, but will not stop other member states from doing what they want in this regard, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Brussels.

On Monday, eighteen states signed the European Defence Agency (EDA) project arrangement for the collaborative procurement of ammunition to aid Ukraine and replenish member states’ national stockpiles. According to the agency’s statement, “the project opens the way for EU Member States and Norway to proceed along two paths: a two-year, fast-track procedure for 155mm artillery rounds, and a seven-year project to acquire multiple ammunition types.” “Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, and Norway have signed. More member states have already expressed their intent to join the initiative soon following national procedures,” the statement added.

Hungary is not supplying weapons for this war, and will not do so, we want peace. Therefore we will not participate in this action. We are not supplying ammunition to Ukraine. However, we will not prevent others from doing what they want in this regard,”

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced in Brussels on Monday. He added that the government used the institution of constructive abstention on the issue. He said that Hungary’s contribution to the European Peace Facility is one percent – roughly 10 million euros – which will be used for other purposes at Hungary’s request: to strengthen stability in the Western Balkans and to ease migration pressure.

He also mentioned a proposal to transfer as much as possible of the EU’s jointly procured ammunition to Kiev, also worth one billion euros. “Hungary is not involved in this either, we are not buying ammunition to send to Ukraine. Here too, we use the instrument of constructive abstention, and here too we ask for the contribution of around ten million euros to support the stability of the Western Balkans and to reduce migration pressure.

“We continue to believe that what is needed is not arms transfers but peace as soon as possible, and for that, we need a ceasefire and peace negotiations,” he concluded.

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Featured photo via Facebook/Szijjártó Péter


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