Hungarian Defense Minister Tibor Pinko said in Budapest on Monday after receiving British Defense Minister Ben Wallace that Hungary is committed to NATO. Wallace stressed that Central Europe is important not only to the United Kingdom but also to NATO.
The two ministers held a joint press conference after their meeting. Ben Wallace stressed that Central Europe is important not only to the United Kingdom but also to NATO. The British minister explained that if Russian aggression turns into an invasion of Ukraine, Hungary will also suffer greatly, so NATO’s defensive unity is important.
Tibor Pinko said during his meeting with the British minister that they see the security situation in Europe in the same way, they value the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in the same way.
The two defense ministers agreed on how to de-escalate the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. They also agreed that “the worst should be avoided”.
Ministers were also asked about Orban’s trip to Moscow
In response to a question about whether Prime Minister Viktor Orban will negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the current situation, Tibor Pinko said that the time is always right for negotiation. NATO also puts dialogue first, not deterrence, and armed struggle. Therefore it is not permissible to refuse a trial, on the contrary, it is necessary.
In response to the same question, Ben Wallace said he did not think it would be wrong to negotiate with Vladimir Putin at any time. The British minister said that Viktor Orban’s visit to Russia could be a good opportunity to mediate the interests of Hungary and NATO.
NATO soldiers in the conflict zone in Ukraine
Ben Wallace emphasized that the UK offered troops to NATO, not to a specific country. The North Atlantic Organization has to decide what to do with British units.
Tibor Benko emphasized that the Hungarian army has developed a lot since 2017, and its capabilities make it capable of solving the tasks arising from the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. That is why it is not necessary to deploy the armed forces of other countries in Hungary.
Thanks to the British
Tibor Pinko thanked his colleague for being able to evacuate 540 people from Afghanistan because UK soldiers handled the situation with flexibility. He said it could have saved many lives.
The Hungarian minister also thanked his colleague for recognizing that Hungary has a strong army and “excellent NATO capabilities”.
