S

Facebook statement by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at a summit of heads of state and heads of government of the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

11 July 2023, Vilnius

This is Vilnius, and a two-day NATO summit. The most important issue could only be the Russo-Ukrainian war. The Hungarian position remains unchanged, and we shall continue to defend it: we should not take weapons to Ukraine, but peace. We need a ceasefire, and instead of war we should start peace negotiations as soon as possible. The Hungarian position is clear, because the war is in a country neighbouring ours, and tens of thousands of Hungarians living in Transcarpathia are in immediate danger. Hungary supports NATO not changing its previous position, because NATO is a military defence alliance: it was created to protect its member states, not to conduct military operations on the territory of other countries. Now, at the start of the negotiations, the position of Hungary is completely in line with that of NATO; because NATO is not sending troops, not sending weapons, and not training combat units, but is seeking to strengthen the defence of its own member states. This is the necessary and right thing to do, and Hungary will support it.