NATO summit: PM Orbán urges peace over weapons in Ukraine

Peace, rather than weapons are needed in Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a video posted on Facebook on Tuesday.

The prime minister highlighted the Russia-Ukraine war as the most important topic on the agenda of the two-day NATO summit that began in Vilnius.

“The Hungarian position which we will be representing is unchanged: it is peace, rather than weapons, that should be delivered to Ukraine,” Orbán said, calling for a ceasefire and an urgent start to peace talks.

“The Hungarian position is clear, since the war is happening next door to us and because of the Hungarians living in Transcarpathia, tens of thousands of Hungarians are in direct danger,” he said.

Hungary wants NATO to stick to its earlier position, he said, arguing that NATO was a defence alliance. It was established to protect its member states, not to carry out military operations on other countries’ territories, Orbán said.

Hungary’s position is currently fully in line with that of NATO, as the alliance is not sending troops or weapons and is not training troops for combat, but is focused on bolstering the defence capabilities of its own members, he said.

“This is necessary, it is correct and Hungary will support this,” the prime minister said.

Orbán holds talks with S Korea President Yoon

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán discussed opportunities for boosting cooperation between Hungary and South Korea with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on the sidelines of the ongoing NATO summit.

The two leaders were in agreement that South Korea has been one of the biggest foreign investors in Hungary in recent years, with the two countries having achieved new records in bilateral trade, Bertalan Havasi told MTI.

Orbán reaffirmed Hungary’s intention of further boosting economic ties in areas such as nuclear energy and the defence industry.

Orbán and Yoon highlighted their countries’ “deep-rooted” relations, saying Hungary and South Korea should further strengthen their cooperation in education and culture as well.

Szijjárto: Orbán , Erdogan discuss Sweden’s accession

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed Sweden’s accession to NATO and will continue to hold talks on the matter, the foreign minister said on Tuesday.
“A historic NATO summit is under way in Vilnius where we will most certainly succeed in making a responsible decision with which we will avoid escalating the war,” Peter Szijjarto said on Facebook.

Meanwhile, he said Ukraine was not getting either an invitation or a timetable to join the alliance.

Source: MTI