Minister to NATO: sanctions hurting us more than Russia are pointless
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The position adopted by NATO on the war in Ukraine continues to coincide with Hungary’s national interests, namely that everything must be done to ensure that the conflict does not spread beyond Ukraine’s borders, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Berlin on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference during a break in an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Szijjártó said that as a neighbouring country to Ukraine, what mattered most to Hungary was that the conflict did not spread beyond Ukraine’s borders. That is why, he said, it was “especially good news” that this was the position being taken by the alliance in line with the stance adopted by NATO’s strongest member states.
Everyone in NATO “knows that Hungary is on the side of peace”
and as a neighbour to Ukraine is in a “special situation”, the minister said, adding that “fortunately the voice of common sense is strong enough” within the alliance.
He underlined that NATO is a defence alliance, “and our most important duty and interest is protecting Hungary and the Hungarian people”.
The position that everything must be done to prevent direct conflict between NATO and Russia also enjoys broad support, Szijjártó said.
The situation is “extremely fragile” and requires great caution,
he said. “We, of course, understand and respect that quite a few member states” are aiding Ukraine with weapons deliveries, he said, adding, at the same time, that it was crucial that those deliveries are not made “within the framework of NATO”.
The members of the alliance agree that “NATO is not sending weapons into this conflict”, he said. The reason why Hungary decided not to send weapons to its north-eastern neighbour and banned the transit of weapons deliveries through its territory into Ukraine was to ensure that it does not get dragged into the war, he added.
Member states also discussed the need to maintain “strategic dialogue with Russia” in the interest of preventing an escalation of the conflict and any “tragic consequences due to certain misunderstandings”, Szijjártó said.