Hungary signals major shift in relations with Russia, minister says
Photo: Hungarian Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi (facebook.com/ruszinszendiromulusz)
Hungary is seeking to reset its relationship with NATO. At the same time, it has a number of complaints regarding Russia, Hungarian Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said, according to Telex.
Hungary changes its policy toward Russia
"Hungary must rebuild trust with its allies, and as for the Russians, we are shutting the door on them," Ruszin-Szendi said during a panel discussion at the Budapest Energy and Strategy Talks.
The minister added that Russian intelligence services "tried to come in through the back door."
He said the Hungarian government is monitoring not only Russia's war against Ukraine but also developments in the Middle East. In his view, these conflicts will end only when governments, militaries, and societies decide they want to end them.
Apology to a NATO member
Ruszin-Szendi said Hungary's interests are aligned with those of its allies and that trust between them must be restored.
One of the government's first tasks, he said, is to apologize to some of its allies, including Finland, whose accession to NATO was delayed by the previous Hungarian government.
Ruszin-Szendi noted that, as a military officer, he considered the Viktor Orbán administration's position unacceptable.
He also said Hungary will meet NATO's target of spending 5% of GDP on defense by 2035, but for now, the government's priorities remain education and healthcare.
Hungary has also adopted the 17th amendment to its Constitution. The amendment is intended to remove President Tamás Sulyok and the head of the Constitutional Court from office.
Budapest has agreed to send an official letter to Ukraine and Moldova, launching the process of opening the sixth negotiation cluster in their European Union accession talks.
In addition, the Ukrainian community and Ukrainian refugees in Hungary will be able to access news in their native language without restrictions. The decision to unblock Ukrainian media was made jointly with the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
