By Tamas Csonka in Budapest
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban assured Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during their meeting in Budapest on June 12 that Budapest will not take part in Nato support for Ukraine but will also not block the participation of other members of the alliance.
Budapest received assurances from Stoltenberg that Hungary would not have to provide funding for Ukraine or send personnel there.
Orban said Hungary was a 'loyal and dedicated' Nato member, pointing to the participation of 1,300 Hungarian troops in Nato operations and the policing of air space in Slovakia, Slovenia and the Baltics.
Hungary had fulfilled its commitments to boost its annual defence spending to 2% of GDP, while the country also ran the liaison embassies for Nato in important countries in Central Asia and Africa, he said.
The Hungarian leader noted that Nato documents clearly stated that participation in any out-of-area operation could only be voluntary. Hungary cannot and does not want to change the decisions of the other 31 members of the alliance, but it does want to use the room for manoeuvre ensured in the Nato charter to the full extent, he added.
Mr Stoltenberg said he had agreed with Orban on the modalities for Hungary's non-participation in Nato's support to Ukraine.
No Hungarian personnel will take part in these activities and no Hungarian funds will be used to support them,' he said. 'At the same time, the prime minister has assured me that Hungary will not oppose these efforts, enabling other allies to move forward,' he added.
Stoltenberg’s visit came a day after the summit of the Bucharest Nine (B9) group, which brings together Nato and EU-member states from the east of Europe. Hungary skipped the meeting held in Riga. According to the Financial Times, members are considering excluding Hungary from their talks in the future.
A diplomat speaking to the financial daily was quoted as saying: 'We are likely meeting in this formation for the last time.'
Hungary has consistently obstructed decisions about supporting Ukraine and speeding up the process of its potential accession to the military alliance.
The Orban-Stoltenberg meeting took place three days after the European Parliament election. In the campaign, Orban raised the stake of the election, saying it was a choice between war and peace and only accused allies of wanting Hungary to drag the country to war. His vast propaganda machine falsely claimed that EU wants to introduce a compulsory conscription across Europe. The German and UK embassies in Hungary denied these reports in separate Facebook posts.
Nato defence ministers will be meeting on Thursday and Friday to discuss enhancing the alliance's role in coordinating support for Ukraine in its confrontation with Russian aggression, as part of the preparations for the July summit of leaders in the United States.
Approval from other countries seems likely, though some technical details still need to be resolved, according to reports.
'I expect allies to adopt a comprehensive package of measures for Ukraine including Nato's 'leading role' in the 'provision and coordination' of military aid to Kyiv', Stoltenberg stated in Brussels.
Another contentious issue with Hungary is around is the nomination of outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to succeed Jens Stoltenberg later this year. Hungary opposes Rutte’s nomination and supports Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
