NATO Foreign Ministers In Prague Troubled About Hungary’s Position Toward Russia (Worthy News Focus)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
PRAGUE/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – The foreign ministers of the NATO military alliance gathered in Prague on Thursday for a two-day meeting amid concerns that Western attempts to halt Russia’s aggression in Ukraine are undermined by Hungary’s perceived pro-Russian stance.
Several nations attending the gathering in the Czech Republic’s capital are also members of the European Union, a bloc of 27 nations, where Hungary vetoed EU military assistance to Ukraine this week.
Additionally, concerns remain that Hungary will block talks with Ukraine on joining the EU, several European sources say.
While technically different organizations, Hungary’s stance in the EU raises fears within NATO. Budapest’s position is seen as undermining the West’s attempts to pressure Russia to end its war in Ukraine.
Hungary’s move to veto EU military assistance for Ukraine, covering 6.5 billion euros (about $7 billion), has “gone very, very far,” complained Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s foreign minister.
The blockage began a year ago when Budapest refused to endorse a €500-million tranche ($540 million) under the European Peace Facility (EPF) that allows member states to obtain partial reimbursements for the military equipment they send to Kyiv.
Additionally, the next step for Ukraine on the way to membership in the EU has met resistance from Hungary.
‘NOTHING WILL HAPPEN’
Several diplomats fear “nothing will happen” toward Ukraine’s membership as Hungary prepares to take over the rotating half-year EU presidency from Belgium in July.
Hungary has been reluctant to approve closer ties with, and military assistance for, Kyiv, saying about 150,000 ethnic Hungarians are among mistreated minorities in Ukraine.
It also cited concerns that ethnic Hungarians were drafted into the Ukrainian army, with several being killed and injured, while Hungarian companies allegedly faced discrimination.
Budapest also complained that Hungary’s OTP bank was designated by Kyiv as among “international sponsors of war,” though OTP has since been removed from Ukraine’s blacklist.
Western diplomats say Hungary is citing new reasons to delay Ukraine’s further integration into the EU and NATO, in part because of its ties to Russia: Hungary still receives most of its natural gas supplies from Russia, and it has a multi-billion dollar deal with Moscow to extend Hungary’s only nuclear power plant.
In addition, EU diplomats say Hungary wants to pressure Brussels to hand over tens of billions of dollars in European funding, which has been withheld over rule of law concerns.
Hungary’s government argues that the funding it was supposed to receive shouldn’t be used for weapons in Ukraine.
HUNGARIAN FROZEN AID
Brussels denies Hungary’s frozen aid is spent on weapon deliveries to outgunned Ukrainian forces and offered Budapest an “opt-out” of providing military assistance if it signs the deal.
It also vehemently denied suggestions by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó that “European mandatory conscription” was being prepared.
“No one will take young Hungarians to the Ukrainian front,” Szijjártó said.
The delays have become an embarrassment for both the EU and NATO as Ukraine battles a new hard-hitting offensive by Russian troops in the northeast region. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleads with the West to step up supplies of weapons and ammunition after Russian air strikes against a supermarket in Kharkiv reportedly killed at least 16 people and left 65 injured.
“We cannot accept that a single country, which also signed in favor of this amount a few months ago during a summit between heads of state, is now blocking this crucial aid for Ukraine,” said Belgium’s Hadja Lahbib upon arriving at the meeting.“We must absolutely assume our responsibilities and do what is necessary to help Ukraine militarily,” she added.
Her Estonian counterpart, Margus Tsahkna, said that “every time” ministers come to Brussels, they face Hungary’s vetoes on “very important initiatives.”
Hungary counters that the best initiative would be peace talks as, in its view, Ukraine “can’t win this war.”It has so far refused to back Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s candidacy as the NATO next secretary-general, viewing him as a war-mongering leader who wants to push Hungary “to its knees.”
Ahead of the NATO summit in Prague, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said NATO needs to send a signal that it will contain “Russian imperialism” with aid to Ukraine.
However, with sharp divisions within key Western institutions, Russia remains on the move.
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