Orbán says he can't change other countries' minds about supporting Ukraine

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has admitted that his country, which has its own position on Russia's war against Ukraine, cannot influence the stance of other allies.

The Hungarian Prime Minister said during a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Budapest that his country is aware that its position is "different from others".

"We have always had the right to share our opinion. Hungary does not have the ability or power to really change opinions that far exceed it in weight and influence," Orbán said.

"We have made it clear that we do not want to block decisions in NATO that differ from our interpretation of the situation", he added.

Orbán said that at a meeting with Stoltenberg, he agreed on a format of cooperation with Budapest not blocking the Alliance's decisions on Ukraine.

The NATO Secretary General, for his part, said that he and Orbán "approved the opportunity for Hungary not to participate in NATO support for Ukraine", which the Alliance plans to provide in the future. Orbán said Hungary would not participate in these NATO efforts, and Stoltenberg "accepted that position." 

In May, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Hungary is working to "redefine" its NATO membership status to allow it to opt out of NATO’s deepening support for Ukraine.

Orbán also said that his country should stay out of the war, in which he said Ukrainians would involve the EU and even the world.