Ukraine has a sovereign right to freely choose security measures, and this right has been repeatedly confirmed at the level of all NATO member states, including Hungary.

"We do not need Russia's permission to become a member of the Alliance. At the same time, it is dangerous when individual Hungarian politicians try to make the Euro-Atlantic space security dependent on Moscow's whims," Oleh Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded on Facebook to the statement of Dóra Dúró.

Nikolenko emphasised that there are no objective reasons that would prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.

"Ukrainian membership will only strengthen the Alliance and prevent the repetition of Russian aggression in Europe in the future," the spokesman added.

Dóra Dúró, the deputy speaker of the Hungarian parliament, has stated in an interview with Russian media that Ukraine's NATO membership is possible only if Russia approves such a step.

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, stated during his visit to Kyiv that the future of Ukraine is in NATO, and the members of the Alliance agree with that.

Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, succinctly expressed his outrage about the statement of Jens Stoltenberg (Ukr), NATO Secretary General, who said Ukraine should become a NATO member state in the future.