BUDAPEST, May 15. /TASS/. NATO nations should prioritize bolstering their own security rather than focusing on Ukraine’s defense, which is not a shared responsibility within the alliance, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto emphasized during an informal gathering with his counterparts in Antalya.
"NATO must not conflate its collective defense with Ukraine’s individual security," Szijjarto stated in a video message posted on his Facebook page (which is banned in Russia, owned by Meta Corporation, and designated as extremist in Russia). "Ukraine’s defense is not NATO’s defense, nor is it Hungary’s. Ukraine is defending itself, not us."
He expressed the view that NATO should refrain from providing military assistance to Ukraine, instead concentrating on preventing the escalation of the conflict.
Szijjarto also highlighted the alliance’s ongoing discussions regarding increasing defense budget expenditures from the current 2% to 5% of GDP, a goal expected to be finalized by the upcoming summit in The Hague in June.
According to reports from major NATO media outlets, participants in the upcoming summit are expected to prioritize discussions on boosting defense spending and military production, rather than on Ukraine’s accession to the alliance. Notably, the United States opposes inviting Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky as a guest to the summit in The Hague.