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Hungary considers ceasefire the only way to end the war

Text: honvedelem.hu/MTI |  11:49 May 24, 2023

Instead of arms supplies, Hungary considers ceasefire the only way to end the war, stated Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky in Brussels on Tuesday, 23 May.

In his statement sent to Hungarian news agency MTI, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky wrote that in his speech delivered at the meeting of EU Defence Ministers, he made it clear in connection with supplying arms and increasing the ceiling of the European Peace Facility that Hungary’s position remains firm concerning the war and its support, as it does not support any steps that may lead to further escalation. “It is clear that continuing the arms supplies will further exacerbate the situation”, he said.

The Minister of Defence stated that instead of weapons, it is immediate ceasefire and the start of peace talks that can put an end to the war and the violence. Hungary is on the side of peace and will not send weapons to Ukraine – underlined the minister, adding that, at the same time, our country is helping Ukraine in all other ways within the framework of the largest-scale humanitarian aid program in its history. Speaking about the future support to Ukraine, he pointed out that Hungary sees the prerequisite for it to be the removal of OTP Bank from the Ukrainian government’s list of sanctioned sponsors of the war.

Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that the war also underlines the importance of strengthening the capacities of the European defence industry, which is also being supported by the government of Hungary. “One of our main objectives is the revival and strengthening of the Hungarian defence industry, which can fulfil the needs of the Hungarian Defence Forces and contributes to enabling Hungary to enter the international markets as well”, added the Minister of Defence.