Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán dismissed Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO with a one-word tweet, exacerbating the already strained relations between the two
neighboring countries. This came in response to a declaration by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that "Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO" during his visit to Kyiv on Thursday. Hungary has been blocking high-level NATO sessions with Ukrainian officials for years, citing concerns over the rights of Hungarian speakers in western Ukraine. This has created tensions in the relationship between Budapest and Kyiv.
Although Hungary has condemned Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it has refused to send weapons to aid its neighbor. Additionally, senior Hungarian officials continue to maintain close ties to Moscow and have frustrated Western capitals by joining Turkey in blocking Sweden's NATO bid.
In 2008, NATO allies, including Hungary, agreed that Ukraine would eventually join the alliance. However, Ukraine's accession process has stalled, and in September, Ukraine's leadership requested an "accelerated accession" to join. Most NATO allies, including the United States, are hesitant to make big moves on Ukraine's accession while the war is ongoing. Eastern members are pushing for NATO to give Kyiv a signal that it is moving closer to the alliance.
During his visit to Kyiv, Stoltenberg discussed a multi-year NATO initiative to help Ukraine transition away from Soviet-era military equipment to the alliance's own standards. However, it remains unclear what kind of political signal NATO leaders will opt to give Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the alliance's upcoming summit in July.
Stoltenberg reiterated in Germany on Friday that, for now, allies want to keep their focus on helping Ukraine win the ongoing war. He emphasized that all NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member of the alliance, but for the time being, the priority is to ensure that Ukraine prevails. Stoltenberg further stated that NATO's support would help Ukraine move towards Euro-Atlantic integration, and that without a sovereign and independent Ukraine, there is no meaning in discussing membership.
In conclusion, Hungary's dismissal of Ukraine's NATO aspirations has further strained the relationship between the two countries, and it remains to be seen what kind of political signal NATO will give to Ukraine regarding its accession process at the upcoming summit. Photo by European People's Party, Wikimedia commons.