Hungary still does not supply weapons to Ukraine, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Thursday in Brussels, at a press conference held on the second day of the NATO Foreign Ministers' Council meeting.

Péter Szijjártó said: Ukraine's head of foreign affairs asked the alliance for "weapons, weapons, weapons", that is, an increase in arms deliveries. He mentioned that for the first time the foreign ministers of the Pacific countries participated in the alliance's deliberations.

Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO, said: the war in Ukraine has entered a new phase, and we must prepare for a protracted war situation that may last for years. NATO, as an organization, has declared that it is not a participant in the conflict, nor is it supplying weapons to Ukraine, explained Péter Szijjártó.

The minister said that the member states also agreed that the war must be prevented from spreading beyond the borders of Ukraine. The question is whether this can be ensured by continuing NATO's strategy or by modifying it. "This is not our war," declared the minister, adding that the most important goal is to stay out of the conflict and to have peace as soon as possible.

Péter Szijjártó emphasized: the Hungarian people clearly indicated that they want peace and security in Sunday's parliamentary elections. However, the delivery of weapons through Hungary is a direct security threat, and based on the "national decision" - i.e. the result of the April 3 election, Hungary does not allow the direct delivery of weapons to Ukraine.

The minister emphasized that it is also thanks to this that the Red Cross can safely coordinate humanitarian tasks from Debrecen.

The foreign minister said: "It would be time for the Ukrainians to stop insulting the Hungarian people. It would be time to end the continuous interference in Hungary's internal affairs. The situation is that they ask for help, and in the meantime they attack and accuse in a sexless way"

Péter Szijjártó pointed out that several results were achieved at the meeting. Sanctions against Russia will not affect crude oil and natural gas shipments. According to the current situation, this is also true for deliveries to the Western Balkan countries, he explained.

In addition, activity related to the production of nuclear energy, which is extremely important from the point of view of the operation of the Paks nuclear power plant, will also be exempted from sanctions, Péter Szijjártó said.

Jens Stoltenberg also said at the briefing held after the meeting that NATO maintains and strengthens its support to Ukraine both in the short and long term, so that Kyiv can defend itself against Russian aggression.

Stoltenberg announced that, in addition to humanitarian aid, NATO provides Ukraine with tools to defend against cyberattacks and chemical and biological threats.

According to his briefing, the foreign ministers of the member states agreed that NATO's new strategic concept should address the alliance's future relationship with Russia and that "further pressure should be put on Russia to stop the senseless war."

In a statement issued on Thursday, Ukrainian foreign affairs spokesman Oleh Nikolenko requested that Hungary provide military support to Ukraine.

"If Hungary really wants to end the war, it needs to do the following: stop fracturing the unity of the European Union, support new sanctions against Russia, and provide military support to Ukraine instead of providing resources to finance the Russian military machine," he said. who is the spokesperson.

Nikolenko accused Hungary of helping Russian President Vladimir Putin in the war against Ukraine and "destroying the unity of the European Union" with his stance.

The spokesperson responded to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's international press conference on Wednesday, at which the Prime Minister said, among other things, that Hungary has no difficulty paying Russia for gas in rubles if the Russians ask for it.

Kiev regards this as an "unfriendly position towards the Ukrainian state", said the spokesperson, adding that they consider the Hungarian suggestion that the Russians and Ukrainians could hold peace talks in Budapest "cynical".

Source: MTI/MH

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