Hungary Opposes Strengthening NATO's Role in Supplying Arms to Ukraine, Says FM

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Hungary is the only NATO ally that opposed the idea of strengthening the alliance's coordinating role in supplying arms to Ukraine and training Ukrainian soldiers, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday.

"Now proposals have been put forward which unfortunately carry the threat of NATO crossing red lines. And NATO may be closer to this war than ever before. The proposals are for NATO to increase its coordinating role in agreeing arms deliveries and training soldiers in Ukraine," Szijjarto said in a video address, posted on his social media.

The minister added that the vast majority of NATO countries, 31 countries, agree with this idea.

"But we said today that Hungary is not willing [to participate] and will not participate in this," Szijjarto said.

The foreign minister told Hungarian journalists after the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels that it is clear that Ukraine will not be invited to join NATO during the alliance's summit in Washington in the summer of 2024.

"Since it is clear that Ukraine will still not be invited to NATO during the summit in Washington, these [proposals] are rather substitute actions, very dangerous and very expensive," Szijjarto said.

Ukraine applied for accelerated NATO membership in September 2022, six months following the start of Russia's special military operation. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has on numerous occasions said that the military alliance is supportive of Kiev's aspirations but is not ready to approve its application right away.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Moscow is closely monitoring the situation and pointed out that one of the reasons for Russia's military operation in Ukraine was the latter's enshrining its Euro-Atlantic aspirations in the constitution.