Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban said that his country is working on “redefining” the country’s membership status in NATO, so that it could potentially refuse to deepen the military alliance’s support for Ukraine, reports Bloomberg.
He said this in an interview with state radio on Friday.
He stated that Hungarian military officials and lawyers are already working on creating a new concept that would distinguish Hungary from other NATO members.
“Our lawyers and officers are working hard to see how Hungary can maintain its membership in NATO in such a way that it does not have to participate in NATO actions outside NATO territory”, — Orban said.
The government in Budapest is already an important participant in two alliance missions outside its territory — in Iraq and Kosovo. NATO members also have the option of opting out of any military missions, although the widest possible participation is always encouraged.
Orban’s statement came at a time when the Alliance is developing a package of support for Ukraine, which will be presented at a summit of member countries’ leaders in Washington in July. These measures are expected to include strengthening NATO’s role at the operational level in coordinating the supply of weapons and training for Ukrainian forces.
In the interview, Viktor Orban said that Hungary is committed to NATO’s mission to protect NATO members if one is attacked. But he said Hungary is concerned that financing and supplying weapons to Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, will eventually give way to greater military involvement, and possibly even the deployment of troops.
In addition, the head of the Hungarian government said that his country does not agree with the assessment of some NATO members that Russia will invade the eastern flank of the Alliance after Ukraine, because the current war, he said, should be seen as a war between “two Slavic countries”.
As Orban said, this view is not shared by NATO, which has created working groups to study a potentially expanded role for the military alliance in the war.
“It’s a situation where we’re sort of there and not there. I don’t know how long this can be maintained”, — Orban said.
Hungary, as a member of NATO, participates in these discussions, Orban added, but in fact as a “non-participant” who opposes the provision of money and weapons to Ukraine. According to the Prime Minister, giving Hungary an official refusal to participate would mean a new concept of membership in NATO.
