Hungary to suspend NATO membership if alliance’s plans against Russia remain — expert
It is reported that the Hungarian Peace Circle would support the government's work "to explain how Hungary can remain a NATO member without having to participate in the alliance's military mission in Ukraine, namely the war against Russia"
BUDAPEST, May 24. /TASS/. Hungary may have to suspend its participation in NATO, if the alliance does not abandon its dangerous military plans against Russia, Endre Shimo, the head of the Hungarian Peace Circle non-governmental organization, has told TASS while commenting on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's statement about reassessing the country's role in NATO.
"This is a real political step taken to protect peace in Hungary," the expert said about the Hungarian government's decision not to participate in NATO's military operations outside its territory, in the first place, in Ukraine. He said Orban was "well aware of the threat to peace and security in Hungary due to NATO's pro-war policy."
"If NATO fails to abandon its plan for a war against Russia and it becomes obvious that Hungary will also be drawn into a military conflict in case of its direct intervention, then we will have no choice other than to suspend our NATO membership," Shimo said.
He vowed that the Hungarian Peace Circle would support the government's work "to explain how Hungary can remain a NATO member without having to participate in the alliance's military mission in Ukraine, namely the war against Russia."
The expert also drew attention to the fact that "in response to plans for sending NATO troops to Ukraine, exercises are being held in Russia to practice the use of [non-strategic] nuclear weapons, and the presidents of Russia and Belarus are discussing in Minsk a joint strategy against NATO's planned military intervention [in the conflict] in Ukraine."
Orban said in an interview with the radio station Kossuth on Friday that the Hungarian government was reassessing the country's role in NATO because had no wish to participate in its mission in Ukraine. He said the issue on the agenda for Hungary was not to take part in military operations outside the alliance’s territory while remaining its member. The prime minister said that Hungarian lawyers and military officers were now working on this, and Brussels was aware of Budapest's plans.