Steven N.
“Our allies continue to agree that the further spread of the Ukrainian war must be prevented at all costs,” said the Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Affairs at a press conference in Brussels.
Péter Szijjártó attended a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in the Belgian capital yesterday. NATO’s secretary general stated that the Russian invasion of Ukraine could drag on for months or even years.
At the same time NATO, as a defensive alliance, will not supply arms to Ukraine and will not be a party to the conflict. The head of the ministry reiterated several times that Hungary would continue its policy of not supplying weapons to Ukraine.
The Foreign Minister stressed that no commitment had been made in their current discussions on this, nor was anything being planned, so it would be up to the purview of NATO members to decide on the matter. He indicated that Hungary would keep conducting humanitarian operations and providing aid to refugees.
Szijjártó also received questions about the statement issued by the foreign ministry in Kyiv. The Ukrainians complained, among other things, that Hungary was helping Russian aggression by being willing to pay for Russian gas in rubles.
It’s time for the Ukrainians to stop insulting Hungary and the Hungarian people. It would be good if they stopped continually interfering in Hungary’s internal affairs. The situation is that they ask for and expect help while they despicably attack us and make accusations. These two goals and actions are difficult to reconcile with one another.
-Péter Szijjártó said in his reply.
He pointed out that Hungary had already let 575,000 people from Ukraine into the country so far, and remarked that:
If this is the Ukrainian way of saying ‘thanks,’ then you are very welcome, and we affirm that they can continue to count on us to provide care for refugees.
Closing his remarks, the Foreign Minister said, “it’s time for the Ukrainians to put a stop to the insults against Hungary.”
[Népszava]
The sad comments regarding Ukraine by the foreign minister (impaired empathy, misplaced anger and defiance of a rules based alliance, NATO) suggest that Hungary learned nothing since the failures of the Horthy regime. Acting as Putin’s poodle is a throwback to the grandiose Horthy alliance with Hitler.
Notice how he doesn’t actually respond to any of the charges made by Ukraine, but just says indignantly, “stop criticizing us!”
You are spot on Steven.