Szijjarto: NATO not at war

Participants in the meeting declared that NATO was not participating in the war in Ukraine, Szijjarto said. They agreed that NATO must not get involved in the war, so the organisation, as an alliance, will not send weapons to the conflict, he added.

It was also agreed at the meeting that everything must be done to prevent the war from spreading beyond Ukraine. Further, nothing should be allowed to provoke an escalation in the conflict, while communication channels with Russia must be kept open to forestall any misunderstandings or irreversible decisions, he said.

“Hungary wants peace more than anyone else, and wishes for this war to come to an end as soon as possible,” Szijjarto said, adding that ensuring Hungary’s security was paramount.

Szijjarto said the defence of Hungary’s territory amounted to the protection of NATO’s south-eastern flank, adding that the Hungarian army was up to this task and did not require additional forces.

The war in Ukraine is deteriorating, he said, and concomitant security risks have grown. He called for “prudence, responsibility, common sense and strategic calm”. “Irresponsible statements can be highly dangerous and should be avoided,” he warned.

Hungarians, he said, must not get involved in the war, reiterating that Hungary will not send soldiers or weapons to the war or allow lethal aid to cross its territory.

The minister stressed that no decision or statement should be made that may end up provoking a conflict between NATO and Russia.

He said Hungary’s natural gas and oil deliveries were in line with the relevant contracts, and at the same time supply is being ramped up from Serbia. Meanwhile, the usual gas deliveries from Austria and transit deliveries are taking place, he added.

The minister said members of a Hungarian evacuation group were already in Uzhhorod (Ungvar) and that preparations were being made to open a temporary embassy in Lviv. Traffic at Ukraine-Hungary border crossings was manageable, and citizens of non-EU countries were being smoothly shuttled to Hungarian airports, he added.