Hungary has decided to donate 1.5 million euros of its contribution to the European Peace Mechanism, a fund used by the European Union to support countries in conflict, to the Lebanese army rather than Ukraine. This information was confirmed by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjarto after meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Razizi in Beirut this Friday (November 14).
In a message published on social media, Szijjarto said Budapest’s priority was stability in the Middle East, not “war financing” Ukraine.
“Hungary’s national security interests are peace in the Middle East, and stability in Lebanon is the cornerstone of this. We will not use our share of the European Peace Fund to arm Ukraine. We will direct 1.5 million euros to support the Lebanese army,” he wrote.
The Hungarian government’s position is not surprising. Hungary, under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has repeatedly said it opposes the use of the fund to finance European Union military aid to Kiev and remains one of the region’s most resistant countries.
Prime Minister Orban criticizes Ukraine’s accession to the EU
In October, the prime minister said Kiev’s EU membership would drag European countries into a “direct war” with Russia.
He said integration would leave Hungary with a “war burden”, including the possibility of sending in troops if the situation escalated.
“Ukraine is a country with a very difficult fate. Why should we share this fate? (…) We do not want to die for Ukraine,” he declared.
Prime Minister Orban also rejected an EU plan to maintain long-term military and financial support for Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government. For the prime minister, this strategy is a “fantasy” based on false expectations that Russia’s economy will collapse.
The criticism comes as the European Council moves forward with formal negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova to join, starting in 2024. Kyiv has so far failed to establish any of the six working groups needed to bring its laws into line with European standards.
About The Author
