Hungarian FM: Inviting Ukraine to NATO ministerial undermines unity

The decision to invite Ukraine to a meeting of NATO foreign ministers undermines the principle of the alliance’s unity, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday, adding that Hungary would only support its north-eastern neighbour’s aspirations for integration if it restored the rights of its Hungarian minority.

“Hungary has come here in the hopes that nobody will question the validity of the alliance’s earlier decision declaring that NATO would not be party to the war going on in our neighbouring country, and that everything must be done in order to prevent a direct conflict between NATO and Russia,” Szijjártó said on Facebook ahead of the meeting.

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He said the decision to invite Ukraine’s foreign minister undermined the principle of unity within NATO, adding that in spite of this, Hungary was attending the meeting “in the spirit of being constructive”.

The minister said he would make it clear that Hungary would only support Ukraine’s aspirations for any kind of integration on the condition that it restored the rights held by its ethnic Hungarian community before 2015.