Defence Minister: Hungary doesn’t support further funding for Ukraine

In a statement on the sidelines of a meeting of EU defence ministers, Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky lamented that member states had not changed their stance on the issue, and continue to discuss weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

Hungary is committed to promoting an immediate ceasefire and peace talks, he said. The Hungarian government does not support Ukraine’s continued funding “as they could barely be convinced to remove one of the largest Hungarian banks from their blacklist.”

The ministers also discussed the situation in the Sahel, an issue with a direct bearing on Hungary’s security, he said. Parliament adopted a package of aid last week, which includes military aid in the region, he said.

Another important region is the Western Balkans, one of the most important routes of migration into Europe, he said. Its stability is also directly connected to that of Hungary, he added.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky also hailed that Hungary has been tapped to take over command of the EU’s military mission in Bosnia as a “great step forward”. “Peace requires strength. We will continue to work,” he said.