Hungary is only NATO country that opposes Alliance coordinating military aid to Ukraine

Hungarian authorities have declined to provide financial assistance and participate in relevant planning.

"Despite many NATO members supporting an increased coordination role in military aid, Hungary has made it clear it will not engage in planning and implementing such tasks and will not provide financial support for such activities," said Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs.

The government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed reluctance to aid Ukrainians in defending against Russian aggression since the onset of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, during a meeting in Brussels on April 3-4, pointedly remarked that the North Atlantic Alliance should be a defensive organization and stated that the Alliance's involvement in defending Ukraine "brings NATO closer to war."

"As the majority of member countries, I can say 31 of them, have agreed to increase NATO's coordination role in these two areas... planning work will now begin. We will not participate in further tasks, and we will also not provide financial support," he said.

Ukraine's path to NATO

On September 30, 2022, it was announced that Ukraine had applied for NATO membership under an accelerated procedure. Ukraine expected to receive an invitation during the summer summit in Vilnius, but this did not happen.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that Ukraine cannot join the Alliance until active combat operations cease.

In late November 2023, Kyiv received recommendations from NATO regarding accession. This came after the Ukraine-NATO Council meeting held in Brussels on November 29.

In April 2024, NATO ministers agreed on further planning to enhance NATO's role in coordinating aid to Ukraine.