Hungary not to participate in training Ukraine army: FM

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Hungary is the only country in the European Union to refuse to support Brussels' initiative to train the Ukrainian army in Europe, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday, highlighting that his country would not participate in the EU's training of Kiev's soldiers.

"It was decided today that EU countries representatives will carry out training of the Ukrainian military. I would like to say that Hungary did not vote for the initiative. We will not participate in the mission," Szijjarto said, as per his social media.

Hungary is the only European Union member state to take such a stance, with its foreign minister explaining Budapest's position by underlining that it supported peace efforts rather than escalation.

"Unfortunately, the events of the last few weeks did not point to peace, but rather to escalation, and several decisions made only made the war more brutal," Szijjarto said on his official Facebook page.

"We want peace, and the focus should be on peace efforts instead of steps that escalate the situation," the top Hungarian diplomat added.

Hungary has been staunchly opposed to the European Union's policies against Russian since the onset of the Ukraine war, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban refusing to impose sanctions on Russia the way the rest of the bloc was, in addition to various other anti-Russian measures.

Budapest has on various occasions explained its position by saying the sanctions on Russia were causing more harm to Europe than Moscow, which is evident by the ongoing energy crisis and the surges in prices.

Hungary launched on Friday a nationwide survey to ask its citizens to agree or disagree with the government's opposition to EU sanctions against Russia.

It is worth noting that Hungary is heavily reliant on Moscow for energy, receiving roughly 80% of its gas from Gazprom. And since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Budapest managed to secure an exemption from the EU to continue its purchase of Russian gas.

Hungary was coerced in mid-September into joining anti-Russian sanctions because the EU was threatening to cut funds to Hungary over alleged signs of corruption and a poor record in human rights. 

Meanwhile, despite refusing to help with the training of Ukrainian troops, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated his country's need for an army "capable of striking and ensuring peace" for a worst-case scenario for Europe over the ongoing war in Ukraine and in light of the EU's failed policies towards Russia.

"We cannot, like ostriches, bury our heads in the sand. We must accept the reality: if this continues, the economy of the continent will collapse, people will be in danger, and it seems that we must prepare for a protracted war," Orban said.