NATO to establish ‘large bases’ close to Ukraine – Orban

NATO is looking to establish several major bases in Eastern Europe to boost weapons deliveries to Ukraine, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said, asserting that his country will not participate in this endeavor.

In an interview with Kossuth radio on Friday, Orban, a long-time critic of the Western approach to the Ukraine conflict, suggested that the US-led military bloc wants to “defeat the Russians” because it believes that “this is the only way to end the war.”

According to the Hungarian leader, his country is the only NATO member state that opposes this policy. “There is no solution to this on the battlefield, they must be forced into a ceasefire and peace negotiations.”

Orban noted that one of the new facets of NATO’s campaign to support Kiev would be to establish a ‘Ukrainian mission’. “They want to coordinate the transfer of weapons at three large bases in Poland, Slovakia and Romania,” the prime minister claimed, referring to three countries bordering Ukraine.

However, the Hungarian leader said Budapest does not want to participate in this effort, arguing that it is “not willing to risk making Hungary a Russian military target.”

“We don’t give a penny of money. We do not provide Hungarian territory… If there is an action outside of Ukraine, we will not participate in it either.”

Orban’s comments come after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg proposed providing Kiev with at least $40 billion a year earlier this week, while calling for more robust and reliable commitments from the bloc’s members, as well as “fair burden-sharing.”

Stoltenberg also acknowledged the rift between Hungary and NATO on the issue of support for Ukraine, noting that Budapest would not participate in these efforts. Hungary has also refused to send its personnel to Ukraine or contribute to arms shipments, but Stoltenberg claims it will “continue to finance the common NATO budget.”

Hungary has consistently warned that NATO’s Ukraine policy risks causing a major escalation and dragging Budapest into a “world war.” It has also denounced Western sanctions against Russia, arguing that they have failed to undermine Moscow’s economy while backfiring on the EU.