Orban States Ukraine Should Not Join NATO at Summit

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced at the NATO summit that Ukraine should not join the alliance, as reported by Bloomberg, citing its sources.

According to them, during the plenary session, Orban also declined to join promises of military support for Ukraine in the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The agency reports that several leaders criticized Orban's remarks, with one noting, "Hungary's history shows why Ukraine should be part of the alliance." Earlier, Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated that there are varying opinions within the alliance regarding Ukraine's membership in NATO. Budapest believes that Ukraine's accession to the alliance would not strengthen but rather weaken the organization's unity, he noted.

The summit of NATO leaders took place from July 9-11 in Washington. The final declaration reflected support for Ukraine's "irreversible path to Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership." The report states that since the start of military operations, Western countries' annual aid to Ukraine has amounted to €40 billion. NATO plans to provide at least the same amount of support in 2025.

Ukraine submitted its application for NATO membership in the fall of 2022, and the aspiration for joining the alliance is enshrined in Ukraine's Constitution. However, the U.S. State Department clarified that the procedure for the country's accession to the alliance would only proceed after the conflict ends.

Russia condemns military assistance to Kyiv and views Ukraine's potential NATO membership as a threat to national security. Russian President Vladimir Putin identified NATO's expansion plans at Ukraine's expense as one of the reasons for the military operation.