NATO's dissatisfaction with the closeness of Hungary and Russia

NATO ambassadors to Hungary have expressed security concerns about Prime Minister Viktor Orban's talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing. The meeting of diplomats took place on October 19 in Budapest, Bloomberg reported. According to US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman, Washington considers Budapest an ally, but at the same time sees that “Hungary is deepening its relations with Russia” despite the war in Ukraine. He added that NATO allies "have security concerns" over Hungary's ties to Russia. In addition to the ambassadors of NATO countries, the meeting was also attended by a representative of Sweden, whose application to join the alliance Budapest has not yet approved.

A Turkish diplomat was also at the meeting. Earlier, the Secretary of State for International Communications and Relations in the Office of the Prime Minister of Hungary, Zoltan Kovacs, said that Hungary insists on maintaining ties with Russia, including in order to find a peaceful solution to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Putin and Orban met on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on October 17. The Hungarian prime minister later said that the Russian president’s answer to his question about the possibility of a ceasefire in Ukraine “was not, to put it mildly, encouraging.”

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