Gergely Gulyás, Head of the Prime Minister’s Office, said Hungary wants a ceasefire and peace talks to get underway as quickly as possible, especially in light of the recent missile strike in Poland.
According to MTI, Gulyás noted that the prime minister convened Hungary’s Defense Council in line with the usual protocol in such situations, and the defense minister contacted his NATO counterparts and the alliance’s secretary-general. Also, the foreign and defense ministers spoke with their Polish counterparts, and Hungary assured Poland of its support, he added. A Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile is thought to have landed in Poland, Gulyás told a government press briefing, adding the outcome of a full investigation is pending. But for a short period of time, it was assumed that Russia had attacked Poland, he said, adding that the events showed just how important an immediate ceasefire and peace talks were. A long-term solution is required that takes into account the interests of Ukraine and guarantees its territorial sovereignty, Gulyás said. The Hungarian government, he emphasised, regards the NATO basic agreement and Article 5 to be binding on all the alliance’s member states, including Hungary. Proof of good relations between NATO allies was no better demonstrated than by the speed with which NATO assured Poland of its solidarity, he added.
Gulyás warned against exploiting the missile incident in Poland for political purposes “in a fragile, difficult, and dangerous global situation … If something is unclear, an investigation must be called for, and the political consequences are drawn afterwards.” He welcomed the sober-minded reaction to the incident on the part of Hungary’s allies. He added, however, that Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky had not “acted responsibly” by accusing Russia after the incident. “If the missile that hit Polish territory came from Ukraine, the Ukrainians should provide answers, Gulyás said. On the subject of Finland and Sweden’s NATO accession, Gulyás said: “We will not be the last country to decide”, adding that Hungary planned to ratify the document “before Turkey does”. Meanwhile, Gulyás noted that at 2am on Wednesday, crude oil deliveries to Hungary through the Druzhba pipeline restarted, albeit at low pressure, after being interrupted on Tuesday due to missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy network. Pressure will be upped to normal within a few hours or days, he said. Hungary’s crude supply would have been safe even had the pipeline not been restarted, he said, noting that Hungarian oil and gas company MOL has reserves at its refinery in Százhalombatta in addition to the country’s strategic reserves, guaranteeing supplies for several months for households and businesses alike.