Hungary must stay out of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Thursday. “What matters most to us is the security of the Hungarian people,” he added.
In a video on Facebook, Orbán said this meant that sending either troops or military equipment to Ukraine was “out of the question, though we will, of course, provide humanitarian aid”. “Russia this morning attacked Ukraine with military force, so the operative board for national security held a meeting,” the prime minister said.
Orbán said the government also rejected proposals by the left-wing parties which he said endangered Hungary’s energy and gas supply and threatened caps on household utility bills.
The prime minister also said that Hungary has deployed troops and police officers near the border with Ukraine. He added that Hungary could expect to receive an increasing number of Ukrainian refugees. “We are prepared to provide care to them and we’ll be capable of meeting this challenge quickly and effectively,” he said.
“Together with our European Union and NATO allies, we condemn Russia’s military attack,” Orbán said, noting that EU leaders will hold an emergency summit to discuss the conflict this evening.
Orbán said he believed Europe would remain united on the issue and could adopt joint response measures.
Hungary’s opposition parties on Thursday condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine, expressing their support for Ukraine and the local ethnic Hungarian community.
Hungary knows from 1956 “what it is like when the Russians invade an independent state”, the united opposition said in a statement. “Now the same thing is happening before our eyes: Vladimir Putin’s Russia has attacked Ukraine.” The parties criticised Prime Minister Viktor Orban for “his refusal to condemn the war started by Russia” and the steps taken by Putin “even when the lives of Transcarpathia Hungarians are in danger”.
Péter Márki-Zay, prime ministerial candidate of the united opposition, said on Facebook that Hungary, as a member of the European Union and NATO, should
condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression against Ukraine. He said Orbán was an “unreliable ally” of the EU and NATO.
He called on Orban to join EU sanctions against Russia by suspending the authorisation of the Paks II project and expel with immediate effect the “Russian spy bank”.
The Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary (Mazsihisz) has expressed its concern over Russia’s attack on Ukraine, adding it has begun preparations to help any potential refugees coming to Hungary. “We sympathise with the citizens of Ukraine, especially the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia, and specifically our Jewish brothers and sisters there,” Mazsihisz said in a statement on Thursday.
The federation said it had begun making preparations to help any refugees from Ukraine that may come to Hungary.
Mazsihisz has reached out to the competent Hungarian authorities and international Jewish organisations, and is constantly monitoring the situation in Ukraine, it added. “We pray that the weapons are silenced and that peace is restored as soon as possible,” the statement said.
UPDATE (14.34)
The United Hungarian Jewish Community (EMIH) also expressed its support for the Jewish community in Ukraine. EMIH chief rabbi Slomó Köves has held consultations by phone with Meir Stambler, Chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine, and offered him the Hungarian Jewish community’s help, the organisation said in a statement.
Slomo has talked with Mendel Wilhelm, the rabbi of Uzhhorod (Ungvar) and promised him that members of the ethnic Hungarian community would get continued help from Hungary if necessary. Slomo has also offered financial support to Shmuel Azman, head of the Anatevka Jewish Refugees Community. EMIH has also offered help for rescuing Israeli citizens from Ukraine.
There is a real chance that the proxy war between Ukraine and Russia will turn into one of the world’s military hot spots in the next few days. President Putin’s decision to recognise the statehood of the two separatist republics is a clear threat to Ukraine’s territorial integrity. A possible war between Russia and Ukraine would affect every part of our northeastern neighbour, including Transcarpathia. That is the only region in Ukraine where a considerable Hungarian minority live.
Ethnic minorities have bad experiences
Based on the latest estimates, their number still reaches 120,000 people. Hungarians living in the region neither have positive experiences from the Soviet nor the Ukrainian era.
The leadership of Ukraine spent the last few years after the Maidan revolution (2013) with nation-building.
Trying to separate the Ukrainian nation, language, culture, economy as far as possible from Russia; however, they harmed almost all other ethnic minorities living in the country.
For example, they banned their language use in everyday life or schools, constantly threatened their leaders and inhibited the economic support programs trying to help them.
According to index.hu, the biggest question is whether the Russian “peacekeeping” troops would like to retrieve the whole territories of the Donetsk National Republic and the Luhansk National Republic Russia. If so, a war between the two armies is inevitable. That is because the two former Ukrainian counties leaving Kyiv’s rule in 2014 were much bigger than the areas the separatists control today.
Putin’s Monday announcement was followed by uncertainty among Hungarians living in Transcarpathia, a former territory of the Kingdom of Hungary today belonging to Ukraine. Sándor Seremet, a fellow expert of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and Trade and general secretary of the Transcarpathian Alliance, called attention that the constitutions of the two republics clearly state that they demand all territories of former Donetsk and Luhansk counties. The agreements on friendship and mutual assistance between Russia and the republics
do not mention conquests beyond the current borders.
Svetlana Zhurova, the deputy leader of the Russian State Duma’s international committee, confirmed that standpoint yesterday.
There is no panic among the Hungarians living in Transcarpathia. There has been a conflict since 2014, but that remained on a local level. Even so, Hungarians were brought to the Eastern front back then. However, it is not likely that the conflict will escalate to territories inhabited by Hungarians. However, all other impacts will concern them. Currently, there is no military mobilisation, but that can change provided an invasion begins from the republics.
However, it seems that Moscow’s goal is to reduce the impacts of the economic sanctions. It is not yet clear whether Russia would like to integrate the republics or not. The Ukrainian president made it clear that he was not interested in escalating the conflict. Nevertheless, the loss of the Eastern territories will significantly harm his popularity.
The only similarity between Donetsk and Transcarpathia is the ethnic minorities living there. Mr Seremet said that Kyiv uses the “Hungarian card” only if they have nothing else. Therefore, it is imaginable that the rights of the minorities including Hungarians will be reduced after the loss of the two eastern regions.
Transcarpathian Hungarians can become a hostage of this situation since they are an easy target. They have all the attributes to be charged with separatism if Kyiv wants to. However, Seremet added that Hungary is not Russia, so only a few consider the “Hungarian threat” feasible. They only use that to reach domestic political goals.
Kyiv can make the Hungarian community living in Transcarpathia a problem they can easily “solve” by, for example, cutting back their language rights. However, such scenarios are yet theoretic, and Mr Seremet hopes that will not change.
Ukrainian policemen and soldiers on a drill Photo: MTI/EPA/Oleg Petraszjuk
Would a Russian victory be better for Hungarians?
Of course, some voices constantly suggest the Russian rule would be better for the Hungarians living in Ukraine than Kyiv’s. András Rácz, a senior fellow of the German Council on Foreign Relations, shared a long post in his Facebook account in the issue. He argues that “in case of Ukraine’s military defeat, there is no guarantee at all, that a new, pro-Russian (puppet)government in Kyiv would be any more tolerant towards the non-Russian national minorities than Ukraine’s current, democratically elected leadership. This includes not only Hungarians but all minorities connected to EU and NATO member countries: Poles, Romanians, Bulgarians, Greeks, etc. Instead of any tolerance, quite the opposite is likely, namely the dominance of the same securitised logic that we have seen in the Crimea.
All in all: in case of Ukraine’s military defeat, most probably hell would await the Hungarians in Transcarpathia, concerning both economic-infrastructural and political aspects. So, be careful, what you wish for.“
“War is the worst-case scenario”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Facebook early on Thursday, after Russia started military operations on Ukrainian soil.
The government’s task — “now, as always” — is to guarantee the safety of Hungarians, Szijjártó said. “Our embassy in Kyiv is open, and at the service of Hungarians in Ukraine. My colleagues are locally providing every aid available,” he said.
Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Thursday said Hungary stood by Ukraine’s territorial inegrity and sovereignty, and will take part in all talks of the allied forces on decisions regarding a coordinated response. In a live video streamed on Facebook,
Szijjártó said even the diplomacy of the “largest and strongest countries” had been unable to avert war in Ukraine.
Hungary is keeping its representations in Ukraine open, including its embassy in Kyiv, as part of its work to guarantee the safety of Hungarians, he said. Szijjártó said he had had talks with István Íjgyártó, Hungary’s Ambassador to Ukraine, who said central Ukraine was as yet free of conflict. The Ukrainian national guard has doubled the protection of the embassy, and embassy employees are safe, Ijgyarto said.
The minister called on Hungarians currently in eastern or central Ukraine to contact the embassy.
The Transcarpathia region in eastern Ukraine, which has a large population of ethnic Hungarians, is “calm so far”, and Hungary is in constant contact with the leaders of ethnic Hungarians and local consulates, he said. Should further steps become necessary, Hungary is prepared to “take them swiftly and in a timely fashion”, Szijjártó said.
Commenting on the situation, political analyst Dániel Deák said Hungary’s geopolitical situation meant that it could not get involved in any sort of armed conflict. Deák, chief analyst of the 21st Century Institute, told public news channel M1 that all Hungary could do was support the position and steps taken by the European Union and NATO.
He cited Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as saying that Hungary aimed to stay out of the conflict, rejecting a proposal by opposition politicians for Hungary to send troops and weapons to Ukraine.
Deák noted, at the same time, that Europe, including Hungary, was dependent on Russian oil and gas, adding that global oil and gas prices were already rising.
Hungary also has a duty to take in and provide care for any refugees fleeing the conflict, he said, adding that the country had a plan in place to accept hundreds of thousands of people if it became necessary.
The United States is expected to announce soon that 200 US troops and armoured vehicles will be sent to Hungary, as NBC News reported.
According to Hvg, US President Joe Biden said on Friday evening that he is convinced that Russia will launch an attack on Ukraine within days. As the US newspaper NBC News wrote, the US is expected to announce soon that 200 US troops and Stryker armoured personnel carriers will be sent to Hungary in the coming days.
As we can read in 168.hu’s article, NBC claims that the information comes from US military officials who have not yet been authorised to make official statements.
In connection with the case, Hvgalso contacted the Ministry of Defence, where they said,
“Every year there are domestic and international exercises, joint training and preparation in Hungary, for which soldiers from NATO member states arrive in Hungary. This year there will be several such events as well.”
On top of that, the Ministry of Defence brought to the attention of Hvg their earlier report about the international exercise in Újdörögd, where 130 US soldiers will arrive with 40 combat vehicles from the US forces stationed in Europe and Africa at the end of February and beginning of March.
Péter Szíjjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs Source: Facebook.com/szijjarto.peter.official
Two weeks ago, on 5 February, Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said:
“There are NATO soldiers in Hungary: the Hungarian Defence Forces. They are a NATO unit. The Hungarian Defence Forces are in the right condition to defend the country, so there is no need for external troops.”
Additionally, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, Commander of the Hungarian Defence Forces, said the same thing: the Hungarian armed forces are capable of defending the country, and ready to do so.
However, according to Hvg, Biden also said in an earlier statement that it is not too late to return to the negotiating table and seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict. It was also stated that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov next week – if Russia does not launch an attack by then, that is.
While part of the Russian troops left the Eastern border, many Ukrainian residents are considering their options in case Russia actually attacks.
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict is the main talking point in the region right now. Hungarians living in Kárpátalja region also discuss it a lot. – Blikk reported from the venue. Even on the Hungarian side about 1,300 kilometers away from the border the crisis is a hot topic. People are making assumptions about what could happen next.
„I hope there will not be a war. I have lived here for 52 years, already without my poor husband” one of the women said, then she added that they do not need a state of war on top of the pandemic. The region is in the red code, there are 40,000 newly infected people in the country of 44 million people. The crisis is affecting people’s lives in other ways as well.
„If you look around it does not look like people are in a panic. Although they have a reason for it. Russia is threatening with an attack, and that can occur at any time. My workplace ordered home office a week ago, so in case there is trouble they would not have to rescue us. My bosses said that it does not matter what the Russian president says, we should expect a war.” – a young girl said.
She and her friend would volunteer to help at the frontlines if necessary. They would do work such as cooking, washing, or whatever is needed.“We have many Russian friends who are infinitely kind and there is no conflict between us. What is happening is a game of power by Putin, intimidation.” – the friend added.
A student said that Russia is trying to prevent Ukraine to become a NATO member. But, according to him, economic reasons might play a part as well. He says it is also reflected in the stock market, where some products became more expensive.
Another person who works in a coffee shop says that even in her area that is far from the eastern border, people are afraid. If something happens in the east, it has an impact on the Western side of the country as well. She added that many of her friends from the Ukrainian capital are looking for housing in the western regions of the country to be safer.
The fate of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine is very important.
As Daily News Hungary previously reported, many Hungarians are working in the military in Ukraine. They would be affected. Migration is also a possible scenario as many people would flee Ukraine and some Ukrainian workers in Hungary could bring their families to Hungary from Ukraine.
Even though Hungarian minorities in Ukraine would be affected in case of a war or invasion, Hungary will probably not help with weapons if Russia attacks Ukraine. However, sanctions against Russia could be accepted.
Hungary has built a good relationship with Russia over the years, and a close economic tie is in place. If Hungary has to choose between Ukraine and Russia, Hungary will take side with Russia. Of course, as always, there could be exceptions. Such instances could occur if a case involved the European Union or NATO. If this happened, the Hungarian prime minister would not turn his back on the country’s allies. – writes hvg.hu.
Another important aspect of the current situation is that there is a significant Hungarian minority living in Ukraine.
This has been a subject of conversations and issues since 1989, but Hungary has been using different rhetoric since 2018. The Hungarian state is more confrontative in their tone when they talk about protecting and supporting the minority groups.
Migration could be an issue as well. Many Hungarians are working in the military in Ukraine, thus they would be also affected. Other people could flee Ukraine in the hope to find a new, safer home. These people could be Hungarians or those who do not want to join the military. Many Ukrainian people work in Hungary, and they are likely to bring their families over to the country. If gas pipes closed, that would affect Hungary as well. Whereas the country has not bought gas from Ukraine since 2021, in Austria an amount of gas from Ukraine gets into the conduit as well.
Hungary, however, will not get confrontational with Russia to support Ukraine.
The most likely scenario is that Hungary would support Ukrainian soldiers by providing healthcare and hospitalisation. If the European Union introduces new sanctions against Russia, Hungary will not agree but will not veto them. As Daily News Hungary reported, the Hungarian Armed Forces can guarantee the security of Hungarians. Lieutenant General Romulusz Ruszin-made a recent visit to Washington DC and talked with Chief of Staff General Mark Milley to discuss all scenarios that might happen. Hungarian Armed Forces are prepared to defend the country, and “will demonstrate their preparedness in exercises before the public and [NATO] leaders”. Read more about the topic HERE.
Asked about the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Hungary’s possible participation, Gergely Gulyás, the prime minister’s chief of staff, said the incumbent government would “not send Hungarian soldiers to fight in Ukraine”. He added that the interior and defence ministries were in the process of making a detailed plan in preparation for a possible wave of refugees.
A large part of them could be heading for Poland, while both ethnic Hungarians and Ukrainians in Transcarpathia could choose to come to Hungary, he said, adding that Hungary could accommodate “tens of thousands if necessary”. He noted that under Hungary’s refugee rules “the first safe country” is supposed to provide shelter, and said “in Ukraine’s case this is Hungary”.
Replying to a question concerning a possible visit to Hungary by former US president Donald Trump before April 3, Gulyás said he had no information of that kind, adding that “the government is not organising such a visit”.
On another subject, Gulyás said the European Commission had rejected Hungary’s reconstruction plan “because of the child protection law”, suggesting that the legislation curbed the rule of law. “The Hungarian government is concerned that the rule of law should be used as punishment for Hungary” over the contested law, he said. “The rule of law is a tool for the Left to sanction different political positions,” he said. Gulyás noted that the EU Court of Justice’s sentence was not appealable, but added that “if the ruling is applied by the European Commission in line with the European Council’s and the court’s restrictive conclusions Hungary has nothing to fear”. Answering a question about possible sanctions, he said “unless the Commission and other political forces want ot destroy the EU they will handle those tools with care”.
Concerning teachers’ demands of higher pay, Gulyás said that the government was in talks with their unions.
The government “sees the demands and considers them legitimate”, he said, adding that “a rise of at least 30 percent has been announced”.
Referring to another strike called by the unions for the second half of March, however, he said “it is like interfering with the (April 3) elections”. “You can do that but it should be considered as a political action,” Gulyás said. He also referred to the unions’ suggestion that a recent government decree concerning school services during strike actions was contrary to the strike law, Gulyás said that “the unions went ahead with a strike action deemed unlawful by a court, while the same ruling stipulates that the government should define mandatory services in a decree”.
Answering a question if the government would assist petrol stations ailing due to a cap on fuel prices, Gulyás said the government was “not ready to use taxpayers’ money” for such purposes. He added that the government was not planning to cap the price of further products.
Responding to another question, if the government’s utility price cut programme costs “between 500 and 2,000 billion forints” this year, Gulyás said “the extra cost will be closer to the lower half of the band”, adding that state energy company MVM’s revenues were sufficient “to manage the situation”.
Concerning a question about recent remarks by Péter Márki-Zay, prime ministerial candidate of the united opposition, that he, if the opposition won the upcoming election,
would “represent communists and fascists, too”,
Gulyás said “nobody has set that goal since 1944” and insisted that nobody would have represented communists “for over 30 decades”.
The Hungarian Armed Forces are capable of guaranteeing the security of Hungarians, Lieutenant General Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi told news channel M1 on Wednesday.
Referring to his recent visit to Washington, DC, for talks with Chief of Staff General Mark Milley, the head of the Hungarian Armed Forces said they had discussed “all possible scenarios”, from worst-case to least likely. They also briefed each other on intelligence gathered by their respective secret services.
“The Russians have the capacity to mount an attack, Ukraine is capable of defence, and NATO can protect the countries of the alliance … the rest are political issues,”
Meanwhile, the Hungarian Armed Forces are prepared to defend the country, and “will demonstrate their preparedness in exercises before the public and [NATO] leaders”, he said.
Although NATO observes the principle collective defence, for the time being Hungary is planning defence on a national level, he said.
Ruszin-Szendi and Milley also discussed US-Hungary military cooperation in other crisis regions such as the Balkans, the Baltic States and Africa, Ruszin-Szendi said.
Running a dialogue and simultaneously demonstrating power could be a way to create peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the defence minister said on Tuesday.
Tibor Benkő told an informal discussion that no information had emerged at the Hungarian secret services that would justify a need for NATO to increase its military presence in the country.
“NATO is us”, he said, adding that already two NATO commands were in operation in Hungary.
At the same time, Benkő said “We cannot predict Russia’s intentions”.
He presented in detail the progress of Hungary’s defence and army development programme and highlighted the fact that a wage increase scheme had been introduced in 2015. He added that the number of military personnel was gradually rising since 2016 which showed that a career in the armed forces had become attractive.
Orbán said that in spite of the crisis, Hungarian investment capital abroad had been “turbo-charged”. He noted the government decision to ensure that whatever profits are repatriated by foreign companies operating in Hungary should be matched by the repatriation of profits by Hungarian companies operating abroad.
Read the previous part of Viktor Orbán’s speech in THISarticle.
“Only this way can Hungarian economy be kept in balance,” he said, noting new foreign investments by oil and gas company MOL and OTP Bank among others.
Meanwhile, the prime minister referred to the continuation of support schemes for Hungarian communities abroad, noting that the government has built 170 kindergartens in neighbouring countries and renovated 790.
Orbán told supporters that during the crisis, too, Hungary had eschewed “the recipes of Brussels” in favour of its “own path”. Referring to central bank governor György Matolcsy and finance minister Mihály Varga, he said Hungary had adopted “the Matolcsy-Varga cure” for relaunching the economy. Rather than stepping on the brakes, economic policy overtook in a corner, he said.
Orbán said that notwithstanding the risks, the country’s economic growth had reached 7 percent amid the pandemic in 2021. The public debt, meanwhile, was kept below 80 percent of GDP and was on course to fall to 77 percent by year-end, he added.
The prime minister chided the left wing for not voting for legal measures to protect against Covid-19, adding that the opposition had also failed to vote for the credit moratorium, the increased minimum wage, the family tax rebate, tax relief for workers below the age of 25, and other tax cuts.
The Gyurcsány-Bajnai government, he added, had done the opposite to the current government in a crisis, abolishing the 13-month pension and home-building schemes, as well as the family tax credit, among others, while introducing a fee for visiting the GP and hospitals.
Meanwhile, surveying foreign policy, the prime minister noted that Hungary was “surrounded by unstable regions”, including the Western Balkans.
Reassuring the Balkans was a simple matter, he said, arguing for the rapid EU accession of western Balkan countries and an “EU Marshall Plan”. Orbán added that it was “a shame” that none of this was happening.
Orbán said Hungary was now stronger and would not sit on the side-lines while “the great powers” enacted “bad policies” and “caused damage” to its neighbouring region.
“Neither Berlin nor Brussels can go against the Hungarians when it comes to Balkan policy, and they can’t go without us either. We won’t accept decisions made in Brussels that are contrary to Hungary’s interests.”
Orbán said Hungary had an interest in “peace, economic development, and in the region becoming a part of the EU”.
On the subject of the Russia-Ukraine standoff, Orbán said that given Hungary’s size, as well as its military and economic strength, its influence on relations between the EU, the West and Russia was limited, but the government had made clear that it considered the EU’s strategy to be “flawed” and sanctions against Russia “a dead end”.
Europe would remain “anemic” without economic cooperation with Russia, he said, adding that handing Chinese a huge economic advantage would be a “strategic mistake”.
Orbán said that in the face of the EU’s unyielding foreign policy, the government had developed a Hungarian model based on membership of NATO and the EU, while maintaining balanced political and economic relations with Russia.
“Hungary may lack a nuclear-powered icebreaker” he said, “but a pickaxe … can be enough to bring about common sense.”
Regarding Hungary’s security, he said “an area of adequate breadth” between Hungary and Russia was needed, and Ukraine’s independence and viability were therefore a vested Hungarian interest.
Orbán underlined Hungary’s support for developing Europe’s military capabilities and a common European defence force, and he noted related efforts under way to create a modern Hungarian army.
The Hungarian armed forces chief has said the army stands ready to protect the Hungarian people should circumstances warrant it.
Returning to Hungary from an official visit to the United States during which he met General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi told journalists on Saturday that Hungary, like the US, had its own intelligence on the Russia-Ukraine situation, but it was important to observe that
“we live here; Ukraine is our neighbour, and the United States is on the other side of the ocean.”
He said the Hungarian Armed Forces were capable of handling “the current situation”. “The Hungarian armed forces are preparing for all possible courses of action.”
Asked whether American soldiers may be located to Hungary, Ruszin-Szendi noted NATO’s annual training exercises would be taking place and foreign soldiers would be present in Hungary this year.
“Our soldiers will also be taking part in exercises abroad,” he added.
Gáspár Maróth, the government commissioner for defence development, noted that the Hungarian side had observed a live demonstration of an artillery rocket launcher system, and Hungary was considering “this capability”, adding that among the possible systems that may be procured was the US medium and long-range missile launcher under development.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a speech on Saturday: “A war between Russia and Ukraine must be avoided”.
Addressing crowds of supporters at the Várkert Bazaar in Budapest on Saturday, Orbán warned of the possibility of “hundreds of thousands or even millions” of refugees arriving in Hungary from Ukraine if war broke out, “fundamentally upending Hungary’s political and economic situation”.
In his speech kicking off the election campaign period, Orbán said Hungary was working for peace, but various state bodies were making preparations for the alternative.
“We’ve got the appropriate scenarios and action plan in place in the event of a war,” he said.
Viktor Orbán in his keynote speech kicking off the general election campaign period also told supporters that “we have one thing in common: we share a passion for Hungary.”
Orbán, who heads the ruling Fidesz party, accused the left wing of adopting “a new political strategy” which involved “insulting people, making fun of people with disabilities, marching into the countryside and threatening pensioners and looking down on women”.
Hungary has sent a new contingent of troops to Bosnia and Herzegovina who will begin service in the EUFOR peacekeeping mission there at the end of the month.
Addressing the unit’s farewell ceremony in Székesfehérvár, in central Hungary, on Friday, Major-General László Garas of the Hungarian Armed Forces said that because of its complex ethnic and religious situation and special state structure, Bosnia and Herzegovina could still not be considered a stable country. The EUFOR mission, however, serves to strengthen security in the region, he added.
Hungary’s troops are capable of effectively fulfilling all of their obligations concerning the mission and contributing to the strengthening of Europe’s defence capabilities, he said.
“We already have NATO troops on the territory of the country, which is the Hungarian army. And the Hungarian armed forces are in proper shape to guarantee the security of the country. So, we do not need additional troops on the territory of Hungary,” the minister of foreign affairs told Euronews in Lyon.
No place for more NATO soldiers in Hungary
According to Euronews, he said Hungary had ongoing NATO cooperations. The interviewer asked the minister of foreign affairs whether Hungary was closer to the EU and NATO or Russia in the current crisis in Ukraine.
“Come on. We are a member of NATO and the European Union. But once again, I want to underline that the Hungarian armed forces are in proper shape to guarantee the security of the country,” Szijjártó replied. The question of whether to accept more troops or not would only be viable if the Hungarian armed forces were in bad shape, he added.
“In this case, it does not make sense since we can protect ourselves,”
Péter Szijjártó highlighted.
Hungary does not want to break the EU’s unity
He also stated that Hungary does not support further EU sanctions against Russia. Szijjártó said that sanctions do not work. For example, the trade volume between Russia and Germany or France increased during the sanction period. Therefore, he urged an honest analysis of the issue.
He said that
Budapest would like to evade bad options and find a diplomatic solution.
Photo: www.facebook.com/NATO
He added that Hungary did not veto the sanctions against Russia in Brussels because they did not want to break European unity. He also said that the Hungarian government believes in President Putin’s statement about not seeking a war in Ukraine. “The more discussions and meetings we have, the better,” he added.
In our former article, we reported on the discussions to deploy troops to Eastern European NATO countries to show support amidst the current threat of Russia invading Ukraine. Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary were considering accepting the incoming troops then. However, not all NATO members approved the idea initiated by the United States and the United Kingdom, among other countries.
Péter Szijjártó stated at the time that it is in Hungary’s interest for Ukraine to be a strong and stable state. At the same time, according to the minister, it is also in Hungary’s interest that Ukraine
stops its anti-Hungarian politics.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Szijjártó inaugurated a Hungarian consular office in Lyon on Wednesday. He said that the new consulate will facilitate that some 20,000 Hungarians living in the region could participate in Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary election. Hungary used to have a consulate in Lyon from 1987 on, but the previous, Socialist government “closed it down in a big wave of such closures,” Szijjártó said, adding that the incumbent government had reopened most of those facilities since then, increasing the number of Hungarian representation worldwide to over 130.
“You cannot make foreign policy, convince investors, capture export markets, and represent the interest of Hungarians (abroad) sitting in Budapest,”
he highlighted.
UPDATE (02.11. 11.51)
24.hu reported that though no additional NATO troops would come to Hungary, military convoys would go through the country. They will enter from Slovakia and depart towards Romania carrying equipment and people.
Here is a segment of Szijjártó’s interview with Euronews about accepting more NATO troops:
Hungary’s defence minister on Tuesday welcomed completion of the Hungarian Armed Forces’ light helicopter fleet following delivery in December of the 20 H145M utility helicopters to their base in Szolnok, central Hungary.
Tibor Benkő said the armed forces had fulfilled their commitments to prepare for deteriorating security situation in Europe and to protect Hungary and its people.
Benkő said
Hungary was a dedicated member of NATO and “we have tasks and obligations” in the alliance which can only be fulfilled with the help of 21st century equipment and highly trained soldiers.
He added that the defence development programme dubbed Zrínyi 2026 was around one-third complete and future air force developments under the programme would include the acquisition of 16 H225 helicopters between 2023 and 2025.
Airbus executive vice-president Matthieu Louvot said
the H145M was the most modern and versatile utility helicopter in the world, and thanks to the supply of H225 helicopters between 2023 and 2025, Hungary would have the most modern helicopter fleet in central and eastern Europe.
Hungary is committed to NATO, Defence Minister Tibor Benkő said after talks with his British counterpart, Ben Wallace, in Budapest on Monday.
Addressing a joint press conference, Benkő said Hungary’s armed forces was strong thanks to the country’s military development programme.
He thanked Wallace for the United Kingdom’s flexible handling of evacuations from Afghanistan last August. Benkő also expressed thanks to his British counterpart for his praise of Hungary’s “excellent NATO capabilities”.
Benkő said he and Wallace agreed on their views of the security situation in Europe and the Ukraine-Russia conflict. He also emphasised the importance of security in the Western Balkans to Hungary.
He said it was important for Hungary to continue strengthening its military relations with the UK, noting a bilateral pact on joint military training signed in 2019.
The minister said there needed to be a follow-up meeting between him and Wallace, as there were “many issues” to discuss.
Wallace said
central Europe was not just important to the United Kingdom, but also to NATO.
If Russian aggression in Ukraine were to turn into an invasion, Hungary would also suffer because the conflict would lead to rising energy and food prices and migrant flows, he said.
Wallace said he and Benkő had discussed ways to de-escalate the Ukraine-Russia crisis, underlining that it was crucial to avert a worst-case scenario. The escalation of the conflict would be especially detrimental in the midst of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, he added.
Wallace said
the Hungarian military was strong and had excellent leadership.
Meanwhile, asked if it was a mistake for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to visit Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the current situation, Benkő said it was “always the right time for talks”. NATO also puts dialogue first, rather than deterrence and armed conflict, he argued.
“So talks shouldn’t be rejected, but are in fact necessary,” the minister said, adding that it was “completely natural that a prime minister is responsible for the security of his country”.
Wallace said he did not believe it was ever a mistake to hold talks with Putin. Nobody wants prices to skyrocket or for migration waves to emerge, he argued, adding that Orbán’s visit was a good opportunity to convey messages to the Russian president.
In response to another question, Benkő said
Hungary’s troops could handle any tasks that arise due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and there was no need for NATO to deploy troops from other countries in Hungary.
Asked to comment on the matter, Wallace said the UK had offered troops to NATO and not a specific country. It is up to the alliance to decide where it deploys the UK soldiers, he said.
As we wrote on December, Hungarian Defence Minister Tibor Benkő discussed regional security and military cooperation, among other issues, with Oleksii Reznikov, his Ukrainian counterpart, details HERE.
Dialogue is the only solution to ease tensions and preserve peace between Russia and Ukraine; this is also in Hungary’s interest, Defence Minister Tibor Benkő told armed forces’ website honvedelem.hu.
At the same time, he refuted press reports that 1,000 NATO troops would arrive to Hungary to be stationed here permanently.
In the article published on Sunday, Benkő stressed that the parties must settle their differences through diplomacy and negotiations.
“We do not agree with the Cold War rhetoric that is being used, the threats and the show of force, as NATO has been advocating a combination of the two approaches of deterrence and dialogue to Russia for years,” he said.
On the security of Hungary, the minister said that Hungary is not currently under direct threat of war, and thanks to the defence and army development programme started in 2007, the country already has defence capabilities that “do not require the deployment of additional NATO forces in Hungary at present”.
Concerning the presence of NATO Forces in Hungary, Benkő said that “contrary to press rumours”, Hungary has not negotiated and does not intend to negotiate on the withdrawal of the Heavy Airlift Wing based at the Pápa Air Base (western Hungary) as this is a capability based not on a NATO-, but on a multinational agreement.
It has been proved once again, Benkő said, that “peace here in Europe is very vulnerable and fragile”.
“War conflicts can develop almost overnight, and they can only be handled effectively if Hungary has a modern, capable army,” the minister said.
Benkő noted that he met with his Ukrainian counterpart at the end of last year to discuss the situation, and UK Minister of Defence Ben Wallace is due to pay a brief visit on Monday, after which he will hold a meeting with the charge d’affaires of the US Embassy in Budapest.
