Austria and Hungary Agree Not to Supply Weapons to Ukraine

Austria and Hungary agree on not sending weapons to Ukraine, Hungarian Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said at a meeting with his Austrian counterpart Klaudia Tanner in Budapest on Monday, with both sides stressing their close cooperation.

According to Euractiv, during a joint press conference, the ministers said that the position of Austria and Hungary on the war in Ukraine is clear and both countries are not sending weapons to the conflict zone to prevent further escalation.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that Hungary "will be on the side of peace" by providing humanitarian assistance to refugees affected by the war. "Close cooperation will be most important because we live in a dangerous time," he said.

According to Tanner, the biggest danger is that the war could spread to Europe, and it will not only be a conventional war, but also an interaction with hybrid warfare and increased migration in general.

"The consequences are felt not only in Austria but also in Hungary. After all, the routes run through our neighbouring country to us," Tanner said.

Last year, the number of shelter applications in Austria tripled to 108,490 applications, making it the EU country with the sharpest increase overall. Meanwhile, Hungary registered the fewest applications, only 46. Tanner did not mention the fact that Hungary refuses to register shelter seekers, contrary to EU law.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán outlined his position on the current situation of the Russian-Ukrainian war at a meeting with journalists in Budapest, from which it follows that he does not believe in the victory of Ukraine and believes that it is gradually turning into an unmanageable ruin, like Afghanistan.

After that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine summoned the Hungarian ambassador for an explanation.