Hungarian PM throws wrench in Ukraine's NATO aspirations

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán appeared concerned by the prospect of Ukraine entering NATO this week, reacting forcefully to comments from Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg saying that the country's "rightful place" is in the bloc.

Orbán responded to a Politico article on Stoltenberg's comments, simply exclaiming "What?!"

Hungary, under Orbán's leadership, has become something of an outlier among NATO countries in terms of its response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Budapest maintains close ties to Moscow and the country is highly dependent on Russian energy.

The country has not provided arms to Ukraine, unlike most of the bloc, Politico reported. The outlet noted that NATO, including Hungary, agreed in 2008 to eventually permit Ukrainian entry into NATO. Orbán was not prime minister at the time.

However, joining the alliance requires unanimous consent of the member countries. Sweden's bid, for example, has raised objections from both Turkey and Hungary and it remains outside the alliance.

The Hungarian prime minister secured election to a fourth consecutive term in April of 2022 by a landslide.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.