Ukrainian NATO membership possible only with Russia’s agreement, says Hungary’s deputy speaker
Дора Дуро (Photo:Dúró Dóra/Facebook)
Ukraine’s could only join NATO without risking direct conflict between Russia and the alliance if Kyiv obtaines approval from Moscow, said Dora Duro, the deputy speaker of the Hungarian parliament, in an interview with the Russian government-controlled newspaper Izvestia on April 24.
Duro said that Budapest sees no circumstances that would allow Hungary to support NATO expansion by admitting Ukraine to the bloc.
“As long as Ukraine’s borders are disputed and armed conflict continues, even NATO’s own rules preclude Kyiv’s accession to the alliance,” she said, adding that “without the risk of war, Ukraine’s accession is only possible if Russia approves it in the form of a certain agreement.”
Duro hinted that Budapest’s attitude towards Ukraine’s integration into NATO is related to Ukraine’s policy towards the Hungarian national minority in Transcarpathia, which Hungary is unhappy with.
The official said that the Ukrainian government could take a “right step” in this direction and grant “territorial autonomy” to the Transcarpathian Oblast and other regions.
During his meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Kyiv on Sept. 20, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that there are “no barriers to making political decisions” regarding the country’s membership in the alliance.
According to him, security guarantees should already be in place, but they should not become an alternative to joining the bloc.
After the visit, Stoltenberg stated that all NATO member states agree with Ukraine’s accession to the alliance, but are currently focused on winning the full-scale war that Russia has unleashed.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was allegedly outraged by Stoltenberg’s statement.
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