“Glory to Ukraine”, former chief of staff Ruszin-Szendi said: Orbán cabinet views that as a betrayal of Hungary
Documents and sound recordings presented at a meeting of parliament’s defence committee meeting clearly showed that Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, the opposition Tisza Party’s defence spokesman who was formerly Hungary’s chief of staff, had declared “Slava Ukraini”, or “Glory to Ukraine”, a defence ministry state secretary said on Thursday.
“Glory to Ukraine”, says Ruszin-Szendi opposing government instructions
State secretary Zsolt Barthel-Ruzsa told a press conference after an extraordinary meeting of the committee held behind closed doors that all participants at the meeting could hear that “it is true that Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi made the remarks glorifying Ukraine” as reported in the press.
The documents clearly proved that as chief of staff, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi represented a position at a NATO meeting of chiefs of staff that went against the government’s pro-peace position and the instructions he had been given, Barthel-Ruzsa said. “Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi intentionally and in a premeditated manner risked the Hungarian people’s security and betrayed the Hungarian people, his fellow soldiers and Hungary,” Barthel-Ruzsa added.
Former chief of staff joining Tisza Party ‘danger to Hungarians’, says minister
The former chief of staff who was sacked before joining the opposition Tisza Party “poses a danger to Hungarians”, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the defence minister, said in a post on Facebook on Thursday. Based on audio recordings provided to Hungary by NATO, it was clear that the former chief of staff had departed from the Hungarian government’s standpoint, Szalay-Bobrovniczky told Hungarian journalists.
The minister said he personally informed NATO’s Deputy Secretary General that the former Hungarian chief of staff had not represented Hungary’s position in NATO, and he also thanked Radmila Sekerinska for the organisation’s “constructive cooperation”.
In a video published alongside the post, he said warring sides departed from and returned to negotiating tables, “so who says what very much matters”. The former chief of staff had declared “Slava Ukraini”, or “glory to Ukraine”, “which is unworthy of a soldier and unacceptable”, the minister said. Szalay-Bobrovniczky said it was important to inform NATO about the related investigations taking place in Hungary.
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