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Hungary Cast Doubts On Ukraine Joining NATO

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Confusion remained Monday over Ukraine’s path to joining the NATO military alliance, with Hungary’s pro-Russian prime minister opposing the move.

Over the weekend, Viktor Orbán seemed to sink Ukrainian hopes of becoming a NATO member with a single word.

On Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on a visit to Kyiv, the capital, that “Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO” and “over time, our support will help you make this possible.”

Standing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he told reporters that “Ukraine’s rightful place is in the Euro-Atlantic family.”

In separate remarks monitored by Worthy News, Stoltenberg said that “all NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a NATO member.”

The leader of the world’s largest military grouping made the remarks while heading into a meeting of Ukraine’s Western allies at the Ramstein airbase in Germany.

However, reacting to a report about Stoltenberg’s remarks, Orbán on Friday wrote on the social media platform Twitter: “What?!”

NATO RULES

Under NATO rules, all 31 member states will have to approve the alliance enlargement, including Hungary.

Yet relations between Hungary and neighboring Ukraine have strained since 2017 over a Ukraine law impacting minorities.

The legislation prevents 150,000 Hungarian speakers in western Ukraine and other ethnic from studying in Hungarian or other minority languages.

That prompted Budapest to block NATO-Ukraine Commission meetings.

Orbán also refused to participate in Western weapon deliveries to Ukraine and prevented some sanctions against Russia over its military invasion of the country.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy hasn’t given up hope yet: He accepted NATO’s invite to a July summit in Lithuania but added that “Ukraine really needs is NATO membership.”