Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that the NATO member country will not participate in the Western bloc’s activities to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion, as part of an agreement he allegedly made with NATO’s leader.
The remarks were made during a live interview with the Hungarian radio station Radio Kossuth. The interview was conducted in Orbán’s native Hungarian language and Newsweek is not able to immediately corroborate the accuracy of the translation.
“I have agreed with the NATO secretary general: NATO will have a military mission in Ukraine, but Hungary will not participate in it, not even with money,” Orbán said, according to a Google translation of an audio segment of the interview.
Newsweek reached out to Orbán’s office and NATO for comment via email.
Other outlets, including Russian and Ukrainian media, have also published translations of Orban’s comments that largely match Newsweek’s version.
“We have achieved the minimum goal, I agreed with the NATO Secretary General, Hungary will get off the train. NATO will have a military mission in Ukraine, but Hungary will not take part in it. The driver could not be convinced, and now only Trump can stop the train,” he said, according to a translation by Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti, which Newsweek cannot immediately corroborate.
Several Hungarian-language outlets, including Blikk and Portfolio, have cited Orbán’s NATO comments to that effect, though mostly paraphrasing.
R&I ~ MJM
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Article URL : https://www.newsweek.com/putin-ally-hints-natos-plan-military-mission-ukraine-1915702