Hungary's NATO membership at risk - Polish General
Waldemar Skrzyczak (polityka.pl)
Hungary has reached a critical point when it needs to decide whether to side with the Alliance or with Russia. If Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban resorts to blackmailing NATO, the country should be expelled from it.
Polish expert and former commander of the Polish Land Forces, Waldemar Skrzypczak, in an interview with Ukrinform.
According to Skrzypczak, NATO has given Hungary enough time to "come to its senses."
"If Hungary is siding with Putin, it should be shown the 'yellow card' and told this: if you don't change your position, you're out of NATO. It cannot be that Hungary is terrorizing the entire Alliance; the Hungarian blackmail within NATO needs to be stopped. If Orban wants to blackmail NATO, Hungary should be excluded from the Alliance," the general said.
Skrzypczak added that there can't be countries within the Alliance that play on both teams. Indeed, NATO is a cohesive structure, open to those who defend democracy, freedom, and peace.
"It needs to be said clearly: Orban's position harms the unity of NATO. Budapest needs to understand this: either he's with NATO or against it. In the latter case, the Alliance does not need Hungary in it; it becomes a political and economic burden. Countries with positions like Orban's have no place in the Alliance," the general emphasized.
Hungary's stance in the war
After Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Hungary adopted an ambiguous stance. The country maintained close political and economic relations with Russia.
Hungary has blocked the imposition of certain sanctions against Russia, as well as the allocation of EU funds to support Ukraine.
Orban is also known for his cynical anti-Ukrainian statements. He claimed that Ukraine cannot win the war against Russia.
Furthermore, the Hungarian government recently released a video purportedly urging for a swift establishment of peace in Ukraine. However, the video depicted Crimea as part of Russia, rather than Ukraine.
