BUDAPEST: NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban agreed on Wednesday that Budapest would "not block" the defense alliance from contributing more to Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion. The talks came hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was reported to be in Saudi Arabia, his latest visit to the Gulf kingdom which has sought to stay neutral in Ukraine's war with Russia.
Zelensky landed in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah for the unannounced trip and was greeted by Saudi officials including the national security adviser and ambassador to Kyiv, the official Saudi Press Agency said. Further details on his visit were not immediately available. Zelensky's visit doesn't appear to be long as the White House announced US President Joe Biden and Zelensky will sign a bilateral security deal Thursday at a G7 summit in Italy.
A way forward
Orban and NATO's Stoltenberg have finally agreed on a way forward in Ukraine discussions on |Wednesday after long negotiations. The deal includes Hungary not blocking efforts by Stoltenberg to get NATO members to pledge to keep supplying at least support worth 40 billion euros ($43 billion) a year to Ukraine for as long as it takes.
Stoltenberg, who has been touring NATO members, is trying to hammer out a plan to be announced at a summit in Washington next month for NATO to play a bigger role in coordinating weapons deliveries and training for Kyiv's forces.
Hungary has objected, claiming it could drag the alliance into the war with Russia. It has already refused to supply arms to Ukraine. As Moscow's closest EU ally despite its invasion of Ukraine, Orban is increasingly stoking fears of a war between the West and Russia, which he blames on Brussels and NATO.
The nationalist premier recently also suggested that he would like to "redefine" the position of Hungary in the alliance to prevent any participation in operations "outside NATO territory".
Orban hailed "a difficult but constructive negotiation" with Stoltenberg. "Today, we received guarantees that in the case of the Russia-Ukraine war, Hungary will not have to participate in military actions outside its territory," Orban told reporters at the joint press conference. "Hungary will neither contribute money nor send people to this war, nor will Hungarian territory be used for involvement in this war," he added. However Orban warned the "challenging period is not over", vowing to keep advocating for "decisions that align with Hungary's interests" after the NATO summit. NATO's
Increasing frustration
NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels Thursday will now look to seal the final agreement on NATO's role in weapons deliveries ahead of the summit. The other 31 countries in the alliance appear on board with the plan — although diplomats said there remain some technical details to finalize.
Diplomats from some NATO countries have expressed skepticism about granting Orban a formal opt-out, arguing that sets a bad precedent inside the alliance. Some diplomats have been getting increasingly frustrated with Budapest — one of the NATO countries friendliest to Moscow.
One diplomat said that "in recent months especially" Hungary's opposition had become a growing issue inside the US-led alliance. NATO has so far avoided being directly involved in weapons deliveries to Ukraine, for fear it would move it closer to conflict with Russia. Instead, it has left it to Kyiv's main backer, the United States, to coordinate arms sent by alliance members.
Officials and diplomats say the reason for NATO to take more of a role now is to try to ensure deliveries could continue even if Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump were re-elected and pulled the plug on US support.
'Sending a signal'
US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky will sign a bilateral security deal Thursday at a G7 summit focused on backing Kyiv's fight against Russia's invasion, the White House said. "Tomorrow, President Biden and President Zelensky will sit down to discuss our strong support for Ukraine now and into the future," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters traveling with Biden to Italy.
"Following that meeting, the leaders will sign a bilateral security agreement, making clear our support will last long into the future." The deal would not include any commitment to use US forces but would involve weapons and assistance for Ukraine, which Washington has backed since the 2022 invasion, said Sullivan.
It was similar to other deals signed between Ukraine and 15 other allies, he added. "Any lasting peace in Ukraine has to be under its own ability to defend itself," Sullivan said. "By signing this, we'll also be sending Russia a signal of our resolve to Vladimir Putin. He thinks that he can help mask the coalition supporting Ukraine. He's wrong."
Kyiv swiftly welcomed news of the deal. "We have come a long way in our cooperation with the United States, and the entire team has done a great job to make this future agreement possible," said Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office.
The United States announced earlier Wednesday a raft of new sanctions aimed at constraining Moscow's war in Ukraine while raising the stakes for foreign banks that still deal with Russia, ahead of G7 talks.
The Treasury Department and State Department's sanctions hit more than 300 targets, including entities in Russia and in countries like China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. — AFP