"We have issued a joint condemnation of Russia's military action against Ukraine and decided on uniform sanctions," the Hungarian Prime Minister said.Continue reading
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has formally requested defense assistance from the Bucharest Nine, a group of the easternmost members of NATO, which includes Hungary, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
The President of Ukraine said on his Twitter page that his country needs “effective international assistance,” which he had discussed with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
He said that sanctions and pressure should be put on the aggressor, Russia.
“Together we have to put Russia at the negotiating table. We need an anti-war coalition,” he said.
We defend our freedom, our land. We need effective international assistance. Discussed this with @AndrzejDuda. Appealed to the Bucharest Nine for defense aid, sanctions, pressure on the aggressor. Together we have to put 🇷🇺 at the negotiating table. We need anti-war coalition.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 25, 2022
The Bucharest Nine(B9), a group of the easternmost members of NATO, is meeting in Warsaw today, with President János Áder attending.
The B9 was launched in 2014 as a Polish-Romanian initiative aimed at coordinating positions and exchanging views in the field of security between the nine countries located across the Baltic and Black Sea regions. Its creation was mainly a result of the aggressive attitude shown by Russia following the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in the same year.
The Ukrainian president’s current request, however, may well fall on deaf ears, as Viktor Orbán has repeatedly stated in recent days that he will not allow Hungary to be plunged into war.
“Hungary must stay out of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Thursday in a video on Facebook. “What matters most to us is the security of the Hungarian people,” he added.
Orbán said this meant that sending either troops or military equipment to Ukraine was “out of the question, though we will, of course, provide humanitarian aid.”
In a video posted on Facebook early Friday morning, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reiterated that Hungary will not be allowed to be dragged into this war. This suggests that the Hungarian side will not respond to the Ukrainian request.
At the same time of his request, Ukraine’s president said Friday in a video address to the nation after midnight that his country had been left on its own to fight Russia.
“We have been left alone to defend our state. Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don’t see anyone. Who is ready to give Ukraine a guarantee of NATO membership? Everyone is afraid, no one answers,” Volodymyr Zelensky added.
The Ukrainian President also expressed his gratitude to those countries that are helping Ukraine not only with words but also with deeds in the midst of the Russian military operation.
Zelensky said that 137 “heroes,” including 10 military officers, had been killed and 316 people wounded. The dead included all border guards on the Zmiinyi Island in the Odessa region, which was taken over by Russians.
Zelensky also said that Russian “sabotage groups” had entered the capital Kyiv, and urged the city’s citizens to remain vigilant and observe a curfew.
Featured photo via Presidential Press Office of Ukraine/AP/MTI
