The situation is reaching a boiling point as NATO allies are alarmed by Hungary’s attempt to balance between east and west.
The frustration of NATO allies with Hungary is boiling over as the country continues its flirtation with Russia. The split became more pronounced on 30 October when Hungarian officials refused to attend a Budapest meeting with all NATO ambassadors and military advisors stationed in Hungary.
NATO is facing a new challenge, as Hungary aligns itself more with Russia and China, while promoting economic neutrality. This poses a security concern for Western allies. This growing rift threatens Western unification at a critical time when NATO and EU are trying to maintain an united front in support of Ukraine and opposing Russian aggressiveness.
According to Politico the goal was to discuss Budapest’s policy of encouraging relations with Russia and China.
“We were pleased to have the opportunity to talk about Hungary’s new policies with our allies. “The fact that it was necessary to discuss an ally’s neutrality policy speaks for itself,” said the US ambassador in Budapest David Pressman in a press release after the meeting.
While Hungary did not attend the NATO meeting, Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs will be speaking at a Belarusian Security Conference on 31 October along with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov as well as even Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bassam Sabbagh.
Viktor Orban is the Hungarian Prime minister, and he leads a NATO member country for 25 years. He has pushed for economic neutrality as well as a “shift away from traditional Western alliances.”
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